Bittersweet Reunion
by cecilyp7
Summary: My version of Katara & Aang's relationship development after the war. How things should have happened to lead up to such a passionate kiss overlooking the sunset in Ba Sing Se. Strictly Katara's POV. I don't own Avatar, it is the brilliant handiwork of Bryan and Mike!
1. Pacing

I pace the cobblestone path, chewing my hair, occasionally pausing to glance up at the sky. A few people came to help me with Zuko a while ago, and I just finished dowsing the buildings that were set on fire with water during the Agni Kai. Now, I wait. I looked down the hallway and saw people walking in and out of the room Zuko was in. I turned away and continued down the hallway, sitting on a bench that overlooked the garden. I leaned my head on the wall and closed my eyes. _Where are they?_ I heard footsteps behind me, and I whipped my head back, only to see Zuko standing, or, attempting to.

"You're going to strain yourself, Zuko." I mumble, turning away.

"I'll survive." He says, sitting down next to me. I hear him groan, clutching his chest. I roll my eyes.

"You alright?" He says, turning towards me, his hair hiding his eyes.

"No. I'm not all right. I'm worried sick. I feel terrible, and honestly, I feel like I should have been hit by Azula's lightning instead. I don't deserve to be in one piece." I say, my voice rising.

"Katara.." Zuko starts, only to be interrupted by me.

"No! Don't 'Katara' me! I've been a jerk! Aang is god knows where, the comet is still in the sky, and quite frankly, I don't think Fire Lord Ozai can be stopped. Sure, Azula is down, but for some reason, I feel like something happened to Aang. And if something happened to Aang, I might as well been hit by that lightning!" I yell, tears forming in my eyes.

"Please, stop yelling. It won't help anyone." Zuko says, reaching for my shoulder. I quickly sit up, backing away from his touch.

"Just go back inside, and lie down. I'll come inside in a little bit for a healing session. I just need to be alone." I whisper, walking down the steps into the garden. I hear Zuko sigh and get up, his footsteps slowly fading as he walked towards the room.

I make my way towards the tree in the middle of the garden and slide down it, sitting at the base of the trunk. I put my feet in the pond and bring up an orb of water, gently moving it back and forth. My eyes strain, as I keep a narrow focus on the globe of water levitating in front of me. I squint my eyes in anger and yell out, throwing the sphere of water ahead of me, freezing it into an ice spear, hitting the rock wall in front of me and hearing it shatter. I bring my knees up to my chest and bury my head in them, and the tears begin to flow.

I sob quietly, letting my tears stain the bottom of my dress, and soon, my eyes become dry. I raise my head from my knees and look up at the sky and gasp. The comet has vanished over the horizon, leaving the sky a twilight color. The tears have dried on my face, so I bend another small globe of water from the pond to my hands, and wash my face of the residue. I lean back on the tree trunk and begin biting the inside of my cheek nervously, knowing that since the comet has passed, someone should be returning here soon. I get up and walk towards the back of the palace, where the Agni Kai took place. I begin pacing again, looking up at the sky every few seconds. I hear footsteps approach me, and I sigh, recognizing them for the second time tonight.

"They'll be back. I know it. Aang is going to be fine." Zuko says, sitting down on bench behind from me. I ignore him and continue pacing, tugging at my hair loopies, which were slowly coming undone.

"You are going to kill yourself worrying!" Zuko yells, obviously frustrated with the way I've been acting. I keep on ignoring him, but I stop pacing and sink down to the ground, burying my face into my hands. I hear him walk over and I peek through my fingers.

"Don't. Please. Just leave me be." I say, feeling my eyes water for the hundredth time today.

"No…Katara…look!" Zuko says, pointing in the sky. I whip my head around and look up to where he was pointing, only to see a giant airship coming our direction. I glance around and see Appa, who was growling and snarling at the ship. Tears begin to fall down my face harder, and I bury my head in Appa's fur.

"That's…my fathers airship…" Zuko says, lowering his head.

"They…he…didn't make it." I whisper. I begin to release uncontrollable sobs and slide down, sitting on Appa's front leg. Zuko stands stoically ahead of me and I can see him raise his eyebrows.

"Where is the rest of his fleet?"

"Probably…s-still…destroying e-everything!" I sob out, barely inaudible. Appa groans loudly, as if to comfort me.

The airship is in full view now, directly above our heads, as it begins to lower itself down. I continuing crying, my loud sobs drowned out by the whirr of the propellers. The ship has a rough landing on the ground in front of us, causing Zuko to fall backwards. I close my eyes bury my face deeper into Appa's fur, as the ramp lowers. I hear footsteps make their way towards us, but I don't dare look up.

"Katara!" A familiar voice yells, and I shoot my head up, only to see my brother limping his way down the ramp with Suki and Toph by his side.

"Sokka!" I scream, lifting myself up from the bison and running towards the open airship. I fall into my brother's arms and begin silently crying.

"It's okay Katara. We're all right. But… I have bad news." He says, releasing himself from my hug. I begin sobbing harder, expecting the worst.

"I lost Boomerang! And my space sword!" Sokka says, looking down at the ground, and I swear I saw a tear form in his eye. Suki rolled her eyes and patted him on the back, trying to comfort the heartbroken warrior.

"You…what…that's…all you care…about?" I say, my voice raising, making him jump back on his bad leg.

"Ow! Well…yeah! What else is there to be worried about? The Fire Lord is defeated." Sokka says. I look around his shoulder to see a bunch of Fire Nation army men being led out of the ship by Toph, who was comically yelling at them and attaching bended metal to their hands. "Just in case you get any ideas!" The last man in line was badly bruised and had his hands, feet, and mouth in metal cuffs. Toph picked him up by the hair and dragged him out of the airship, throwing him down on the ground in front of Zuko.

"Delivery!" She says, with a proud look on her face.

"My…father…." Zuko says, with an astonished look on his face. "But… how?"

"Who else do you think? You should have seen Twinkletoes out there, looks like he doesn't need us as teachers anymore…" She says. My ears perked up at the familiar nickname.

"Aang… where is he?" I gasp, pushing the Fire nation soldiers away from me.

"Inside, mediating, as always. I swear, he never takes a break, that kid." Sokka says, picking at his teeth. "I mean we just won! What more could he be worried or upset about?" I winced at the thought, knowing exactly what else is bothering him.

"Go get him, Sugarqueen." Toph says, giving me a push that nearly makes me stumble. I turn around and give her a small smile, stupidly realizing that she can't see it. I turn around and make my way into the airship. I walk down the dark hallway, and see a small light coming from a room at the end of the hall. I take a shallow breath, wiping away the tears on my face, and make my way towards the light.


	2. Bittersweet Reunion

My hand hovers from the cold metal door, wondering if I should knock or just barge in. _It's Aang, Katara. I'm sure he wouldn't care._ I quietly push the door open, an obnoxious squeaking noise emitting from the movement. I peer inside, and a sigh of happiness waves over me. There he was, sitting on the small bed, with his legs crossed and his arms placed delicately in his lap. His back was revealed and my eyes followed his tattoo from the top of his head to where it broke from the scar in the center of his back. I couldn't see his face, since he was facing the wall. I took a deep breath and stepped inside, shutting the metal door behind me. He still didn't budge, but suddenly, he spoke.

"I'm coming, Sokka. Please, just let me sit here for a little while longer. I need time to think."

My breath catches as I hear his voice. It sounded so…different. My head begins thumping and I hear my breathing go faster. _What is wrong with me? It's just Aang._

"Think about what?" I quietly say, leaning on the metal door.

He jumps at the sound of my voice and quickly turns around, his eyes finding mine.

"Katara!" He says, his cheeks turning a deep scarlet color. He stands up, looking towards me, his eyes full of joy. My eyes begin to water, the tears slowly falling down my cheeks. My legs begin moving, and I throw myself into his arms, burying my face into the crook of his neck. My cries become louder, as all the emotions I felt only moments ago come rushing back. His hands gently caress by lower back, slowly moving up and down, comforting me. I feel his breath in my hair and he tries to soothe me.

"Shh…it's okay, Katara. I'm all right." His hands rest on my hips, pulling me tighter to lengthen the hug. My breath catches at this gesture, and I feel my face getting hot, but I don't dare release my grip around his neck.

"I thought I lost you." I say, my voice shaking with sobs.

"You never lost me." He says, tightening his hands even more, sliding them around my waist.

We stay like that for a few minutes, until my sobbing quelled to small, short breaths. I felt his grip slowly release me, and I lean back, keeping my hands on his neck. He gives me a small smile, and brings one of his hands that were resting on my hips to my face, wiping away the last of my tears. I slowly slide myself out of his grip and slump on the bed. I lower my head and the tears begin to flow out again. He sits down next to me and brings his fingers under my chin, pushing my head up to meet his gaze. He keeps on trying to wipe my tears away, but they don't stop. He rips off a piece of what was left of his air nomad garment and dabs my face.

"Aang… I... I'm so sorry." I say, releasing more tears from my eyes. He raises his eyebrows at me, obviously confused.

"What in the spirits could you be sorry for?" He says, putting both of his hands on my shoulders. I open my mouth to explain only to be silenced by his voice.

"No Katara. Stop apologizing. I should be the one to apologize. It was wrong for what I did to you. I shouldn't have forced you to make a decision about me. I will accept anything you decide, whether I like it or not, as long as you're happy. That alone is good enough for me." He says sternly, never releasing his gaze. His hands travel from my shoulders to my cheeks, wiping the rest of my tears dry. "Please…stop crying. I am not worth you crying over."

I slap his hands away. "How could you say that? How could you possibly think you aren't worth my tears?" I yell, my voice breaking. Aang's eyes widen in surprise of my outburst. I angrily stand up and begin pacing the room. I feel his eyes following my every move.

"No one is forcing me into any decisions! I can figure them out myself!" I say, angrily huffing and puffing around the room. I hear Aang sigh and start to say something, but I quickly begin talking again, interrupting him.

"Do you know what you've put me through Aang? Do you have any idea what you do to me?" I say, my voice getting even louder. He looked up at me sheepishly, as if he committed a crime. He looked so innocent, so sweet. I scowl at him and raise my arms angrily in the air.

"You always disappear. Every single time. Why do you always leave me when I am at my emotional breaking point? Ba Sing Se, the Fire Navy ship, the Invasion, and then few days ago, on Ember Island! Do you have any idea what that does to me Aang, do you?"

He quickly shakes his head, looking up at me with his eyes wide open.

"And then you go and say that you aren't worth my tears! You are my tears! The only reason I've shed a tear in these last months were because of you!"

He looks down at the ground silently, waiting for me to finish.

"I cried every single night you were gone from when we were on Ember Island to right now. It hasn't stopped. And I hate it. I hate feeling upset, and sad all the time. I'm…so tired. I just want to be happy." I say, my loud voice turning into a small whisper. He looks up at me, tears forming in his own eyes now. The cuts and bruises began to show prominently across his chest and I slump down back in front of him, putting my head in my hands again. I feel the tears burn my eyes once more and I look up at him, to purposely show him my tears.

"I'm…so…sorry Katara. I hope you never cry over me again. I promise, I won't let you. Please. Stop." Aang says, his hands once again reaching for my cheek again. I turn away and wipe them off myself. His hands fall and rest on his lap. He begins nervously playing with his fingers, when I grab his hands with my own to stop his fidgeting. I give him a small smile and entwine my fingers with his.

"I really have no idea why I said that to you." I quietly say.

"Said what?" He says, still looking down at our hands. He begins moving his thumb lightly across mine.

"That I was confused. The only thing I was confused about was how the war would turn out." I say, still looking at him, studying his facial expressions very closely.

He releases one of his hands from mine and brings it to my hair, which was messily hanging over my shoulder. He plays with it, twirling the strands in between his fingers. My heart flips inside my chest and I close my eyes and sigh. He quickly stops and pulls his hand back, his face glowing red. I smile and reach for that same hand and intertwine it with mine again.

"And now that the war is over…I am not really confused anymore. About anything." I shyly look into his eyes, hoping he caught on. He looks at me with wide eyes, and smiles, wiping his tears with his bare shoulder.

"I never meant to leave you… I didn't know that I upset you so much. I promise, I'll never leave you again, except if you ask me to. As soon as you tell me to go, I'll be gone, until you say you want me back. Unless you say forever, because then I'll do that too." He says, looking down at our hands. I gasp at his words and he winces, waiting for me to explode at his words. I stay silent for a few seconds, thinking of a clever response.

"What if I told you to go right now? What if I was so angry with you, I said I never wanted to see you ever again? Would you really go?" I whispered. He stayed quiet too long for my liking and I began biting my bottom lip.

"If it was what you wanted, yes." He says quietly.

"Even if it hurts you?" I ask.

"Even if it kills me. As long as you're happy." He says. He begins stroking his thumb across mine again.

"Aang…" I begin to say, only to have him interrupt me.

"Do you…want me to go? Forever?" He says, his small voice cracking with pain.

I frown at him, releasing my hands from his and crossing them across my chest. "Didn't you hear what I just said?" I say, my voice shaking with anger.

"What…no? Yes?" He says, anxiously tapping his fingers on his leg.

"I said that I just want to be happy! Every time you disappeared, or ran away, or left me I was depressed and angry and hurt. Do you want me to feel like that forever?" I say, my eyes glaring into his.

"What! No! Never!" He says, swiftly grabbing my hands and pulling me close towards him, our faces a mere few inches away from each other. "I…I was just confused with the q-question! You asked me about leaving a-and… I wasn't sure how to respond and I just-."

"Aang. Stop." I say, not releasing his stare from my own. Our breathing was in sync, and our lips were so close that I could feel his breath on mine. He begins to argue again, but I tune out his rambling. I look deep into his gray eyes and see my own reflection. He was still talking, saying something about leaving and seeing me happy would be enough for him. _For the love of spirits, he really is clueless._ I come back to reality only to hear him talking still.

"-And if it was the only way to show you how much I love you, then I'll be content." He stops and looks at me, waiting for me to show some emotion to what he just said. _What he just said. _My breath catches.

"You love me?" I say, my eyes widening in shock. I felt my heart swell in my chest, and I was afraid it was going to burst. _This is the moment Katara. Do it now!_

His lips purse together and his cheeks turn crimson. "Uh…what…I…uh. That's all you… you…took from what I said? Because I…I…said a lot of other…uh…important stuff and I-."

I quickly close my eyes and soon the small gap that was between us closes, with my lips smashing onto his. I hear a little sound come from the back of his throat that sounded like a squeak, and then quickly, another sound replaces it. Humming. Our lips move softly against one another, and I feel him anxiously shake his hands free of my own to swiftly wrap around my waist. I smile into the kiss, which was slowly starting to get deeper, our heads turning in the right directions. I move my empty hands from his lap to the back of his neck and head, gently tracing his tattoo there. He hums a little louder, pushing himself close towards me, smiling into the kiss as well. We shift from our uncomfortable sitting positions and lay down on our sides, each of our hands pushing each other closer, completely closing the remaining space between us. I felt myself running out of air, but I ignored it, too engrossed in our kiss to care about anything else. I opened my mouth slightly, letting my tongue gently glide across his lower lip, hoping to gain entrance into the young Avatar's timid mouth, as well as find some air. He hums again and slowly opens his mouth, giving way to my tongue. I open my mouth as well, and he shyly explores my mouth with his tongue, twisting it expertly that makes me shudder. One of his hands moves from my waist to the base of my head, knotting them in my hair. He pulls me closer, deepening the kiss even more, putting his other hand on the small of my back. I hum against his lips and slowly pull away, exhausted and clearly out of breath.

I open my eyes to see him staring at me with his own, which were wide and full of surprise and confusion. I shut my eyes again and begin to softly kiss him under his chin, just below his ear. He laughs immaturely and brushes his hands through my strewn out hair.

"What was that for?" He sighs.

"Mmmm?" I say, continuing to lightly kiss him on his jawline, slowly going back up to his cheek. I linger on his cheek for a few moments, only to return to his lips, pecking them slowly at first, and then dragging out a few longer kissers, with him complying.

"Hmm…Katara." He says into my lips. "This is…well…"

"Aang…Shh…" I say, closing his mouth with my own.

I feel him reluctantly pull away and sigh.

"I'm so…confused. I kissed you on the balcony during the play and…well…you weren't like this." He says, looking directly into my eyes.

"Ugh, don't talk about that stupid play." I say, returning my lips to his jawline. He gives me a nervous laugh and brings my face up to his, our noses touching.

"Regardless of that stupid, stupid play, what made you…suddenly get…un…confused?" He says, his lips so close to mine I can hardly stand it.

I sigh and sit up, running my hand through my messy hair. I let out a shy giggle, realizing what just happened. I look down at Aang, who was now sprawled out on the bed with the goofiest grin I've seen plastered on his face. He looks up at me and smiles even wider. His face was a deep red, from being both exasperated and slightly taken aback at the same time. He airbends himself up so he is on his feet, and offers a hand down to me.

"We can talk more later. Now I think it's best we get off this airship. I'm pretty sure they are going to wonder what we've been up to… and I don't really want to explain it to Sokka." He says, grabbing my hand.

I giggle as he pulls me up weightlessly, and he swiftly airbends the metal door open. I take his hand and we slowly make our way down the dark hallway towards the ramp opening. I stop in my tracks and pull Aang with me, a little bit back deeper in the hallway again.

"Wait." I say, as I put my hands around his neck one more time. "Just in case we don't get any alone time in the next few days…" I gently push my body against him, feeling his back hit the cold metal wall. Our lips meet quickly, and he grabs my waist and pulls me closer. We kiss until we run out of air and reluctantly separate. He smiles and takes my hand in his, and we make our way out of the airship.


	3. The Coronation

The next day was dreadfully busy. Too busy for my own liking. I thought I would be used to the rushed feeling of getting things done since I've been traveling between the four nations for about 8 months, staying in places not even for a day at times. But I was exhausted. It was as if all those months of traveling caught up with me, dragging me down from finishing strong. Or maybe it was just me being tired from the night before, nearly killing myself with worry over whether or not I'll ever see my best friends again. Last night. I feel my face warm up abnormally and a sly smile spreads across my face. I was so emotional last night, that things between Aang and me, well…happened. I blush even more thinking about the events of this morning…

_When I woke up, I could see the morning sun slowly beginning to shine through the shutters of my room Zuko arranged for me. I stayed in bed for a good half-hour when a small knock on my door aroused me from my deep thinking. I didn't respond, knowing who was standing outside my door. There was only one person that would be up at this hour, and I smiled as I waited for him to come in. I see the door open just a crack, and a small head with a familiar blue arrow pops through. _

"_Katara…?" Aang said, peeking into my dark room. "Are you…awake?"_

_I didn't respond, pretending I was asleep, giving a fake sleepy sigh and rolling to my side. His light footsteps walked into my room, and I heard him shut the door. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping I don't blow my cover. I heard his footsteps again, stopping directly at the foot of my bed. I hear Aang sigh, and walk over to the side of my bed, gently sitting down next to me. I decide it's time to officially 'wake up' so I open my eyes sleepily and look up at him._

"_Hi." I whispered._

"_Hi." He whispered back, looking down at me with a small smile. "Are you feeling better today?" I just shrugged._

_He reached down and touched my cheek. _

"_Well…that's a good sign." He said, moving his hands._

"_What's a good sign?" I said, clearly confused._

"_No tears." He said, giving me a big smile. _

"_No tears." I said back, slowly sitting up. _

_He gave me a deep sigh and grabbed my hand, letting his thumb once again dance across mine. I felt myself blush at the gesture. _

"_You won't see me too much today…" He said, looking down at our hands. "There's Zuko's coronation, and I have to prepare a proposal about the peace movement to the Earth Kingdom generals directly afterwards. There's so much to do…"_

"_I can help you with your proposal…" I said, giving him a weak smile. "You know me…motivational speeches and peace talks are my thing!" I punched my fist in the air. He nervously laughed at my response and releases my hand, standing up._

"_I would love that…but the Fire Sages told me I have to write it myself…I already asked them if I could ask you for help…" He said, giving me an innocent smile. _

"_Well Mr. Avatar. Better hop to it. You have a long day today… Will I see you later on?" I said, my voice full of hope._

"_Of course! After the coronation, there is supposed to be some sort of festival." He said, his face contorting into deep thought. I don't say anything, waiting for him to continue._

"_Would you…like to…go with me? As…my date?" He said, fidgeting his fingers. I rolled my eyes at him._

_I ripped off my covers and stood up in front him, bringing my face close to his. Our noses lightly touched. I heard his breathing pick up, his cold breath on my face. _

"_Hmm…I don't know." I teased, tapping my index finger on the bottom of my chin. "I have to see if my schedule is open…"_

_He gulped and stood very still. "I…uh…your schedule?" He stammered out, his face glowing red._

_I leaned in closer to him, gently brushing my lips on his, letting them linger there. I felt him holding his breath and I let out a small chuckle._

"_Mmm, maybe…I could make you an exception…" I said, pulling away, wearing the biggest grin I could hold. _

"_Now, since you have such a big day ahead of you, I think it's best if you get going." I said, turning the stunned airbender around and pushing him towards the door. I finally get him into the hallway and give him one last teasing smile, and reach for the door, when suddenly a huge gust of wind pushes it past me, breaking it off the hinges. I looked towards the entrance to give Aang a look of disproval, only to see him missing._

"_What the…" I said, peering out my broken doorway, glancing down the hall. I turned around, and I am met with a pair of stormy grey eyes. _

"_Aang, what are you-!" _

_I am cut off with his lips meeting mine, only for a brief moment, which was too short for my liking. My eyes remained closed in shock, only to hear him seductively whisper in my ear._

"_Two can play this game Katara. Too bad I'm better at it than you!" And with that he forms an air scooter and whirrs out of my room, laughing his way down the hall. I stood in my broken doorway with a blank look on my face, trying to comprehend what just happened. I sighed dreamily and went back into my room and flopped on my bed. I must have laid there for about an hour, because soon enough Toph came stopping in my room, and literally pulled me out of bed. _

I groan and rub the sensitive patch of hair on my head, where Toph aggressively pulled this morning. I shrug it off and look up towards the front of the palace, where the five Fire Sages sat, awaiting the arrival of the soon-to-be Firelord, and of course, the Avatar. I purse my lips into a small smile thinking about him.

Suddenly the crowd erupts into a huge applause and I squint my eyes, looking towards the curtains separating the palace from the top of the steps. I see Zuko step out first and the people around me go wild. The gong is struck and he walks to the middle, holding his hand up.

"Please…the real hero… is the Avatar." He says, as Aang slowly walks up behind him, now in full view. I gasp at the sight of him. He was attractively dressed in new air nomad clothing I haven't seen before. I feel my cheeks blush as he looks into the crowd, our eyes meeting and lingering for a few seconds, only to be broken with me shyly looking away.

"Today…this war is finally over!" Zuko bellows, the crowd making him almost inaudible.

"I promised my Uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But, with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era, of love and peace."

One of the Fire Sages steps forward, carrying a small crown that took the shape of a flame. Zuko kneels down in front of him, and the Fire Sage places the crown delicately in his tightly wrapped bun.

"All hail Firelord Zuko!"

The crowd applauds and Zuko stands, making his way to the top of the marble steps. He nods his head forward for Aang to come join him, and together they stand, marking the official end of the 100-year war. The Fire Lord and the Avatar, finally at peace with each other. I feel my eyes well up with joy, as my eyes flicker from Zuko to Aang. I let them linger on Aang for a while, and soon enough, his eyes meet mine again. Only this time, I don't dare look away.


	4. Papaya Juice

"Papaya juice, miss?"

I look at the tray in front of me and scrunch up my nose.

"Ugh…no thanks." I say, pushing it away. Toph quickly shoves me to the side.

"Well, I'll have some!" She says, taking a cup from the caterer. Suki pops up behind her and takes a glass as well.

"I want some!" Sokka says, making his way over to the poor man, who was slightly feeling ambushed. Only to Sokka's dismay, the glass tray was empty…

"Who took the last one?" He says, an angry scowl on his face. "When I find out who took the last sweet glorious cup of papaya juice, they will be in a world of hurt!" He pulls out his new boomerang menacingly.

"Ahem, Captain Boomerang." Toph says, with a big grin on her face. "Your little fangirl was the one who took the last 'glorious cup' of papaya juice."

"A world of hurt huh?" Suki says, tapping her foot on the ground.

"I…I…didn't mean that!" Sokka says, anxiously biting his nails. Suki slowly begins walking away, to our dinner table.

"Wait! Suki! Come back! I was joking! I don't even like papaya!" He yells, chasing after her.

Toph begins snickering. "You've really done it this time Snoozles!" She pretends to wipe a tear from her eye. "Oh man…that never gets old." I roll my eyes and scan my eyes over the sea of people. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, laughing, dancing, drinking, and eating the night away. The food was wonderful. To celebrate the end of the war, and the coming together of all four…well…three nations, many diverse dishes were prepared.

Toph and I walk back over to our reserved table, and sat in our spots. I was really excited about not only trying different kinds of foods, but I initially looked forward to getting a nice serving of my stewed sea prunes. I look down at my untouched bowl, the hot steam that was there not even minutes ago long gone. I guess I wasn't hungry anymore. I looked back into the crowd of people, straining my eyes for a particular person.

"Sheesh, can you be anymore of a downer, Madame Fussy Britches." Toph says, picking her teeth with a toothpick. She lifts her feet up and places them on the table, soiling the white tablecloth.

"Toph! Put your feet down!" I say, looking around nervously to see if anyone is looking at us.

"Nah…" She nonchalantly says, her index finger slowly reaching for her nose. I catch her wrist and push her hand down.

"Your feet are enough for me to handle! You can dig for gold on your own time!" I angrily say, pushing my cold bowl of food away from me. Yeah, definitely lost my appetite now.

"Ugh, where is Twinkletoes when you need him!" Toph groans, throwing her hands in the air.

"What's that supposed to mean, Toph?" I say, glaring at her. Even though she is blind, maybe she can feel the anger radiating from me.

She laughs, and brings her hands to her feet, gently massaging them. "Oh nothing…"

I lean back and cross my arms over my chest, giving her a loud huff.

"Oh no. It's something. Please, feel free to elaborate." I grumpily say.

"Well…if you insist." She says, putting her feet down on the floor. I patiently wait for her to respond.

She stands up and points her finger directly in between my eyes.

"You've been nothing but a little old grump all night! I'm trying to have good time, and so far, instead of hearing laugher, joy, and fun, I've been hearing YOU complain all night!" I push her hand away, due to her finger getting a little too close to jabbing my eyeball.

"For your information, I am full of joy! See!" I pick up a colorful festival hat and put it on my head. "Look, joyful!"

"Oh, it looks good on you!" She says, her voice quieter.

"What…really? Thanks-." I furrow my eyebrows and rip off the hat. "Yeah, thanks, Toph."

She gets up from her chair, and grabs the last bread roll from the basket.

"I just can't wait for Twinkletoes to get here…"

I open my mouth to agree with her, when she decides to finish the rest of her sentence.

"So he can lay a big one on you already. That way you'll be literally forced to shut your yap!"

I open my mouth in disbelief, as I watch her walk towards Sokka and Suki, who were still arguing about the papaya juice incident.

"Lay a big WHAT?" I say, rising from my chair.

"You heard me Sugarqueen!" She yells back, "A big, wet one!" She laughs and stomps her feet on the ground, sending a small shockwave, knocking me on the floor.

"Oh, no she didn't…" I mumble to myself, getting back onto my feet. I look over to the punch bowl, and bend a small steam of fruit juice to me. I aggressively shake my hands and send the punch flying, whipping the back of Toph's head, and knocking her to the ground. People gasp, their eyes nervously glancing between Toph and me.

She lifts up a chunk of earth and holds it over her head. I bend more punch out of several bowls and form a giant orb of it to my side. I am just about to clench my fists together, when the gong echoes across the courtyard. Toph drops her rock in front of her and I reluctantly bend the punch back into the bowls. _She is so getting it later on._

"Ladies and gentleman… I would like to formally present…Fire Lord Zuko!" One of the Fire Sages says, hitting the gong again. Zuko walks down the back steps, one hand waving, and the other firmly attached to Mai. I give a smile small, admiring the couple.

"Who knew Zuko got game?" Sokka says, now standing next to me. I raise my eyebrow and inspect his face more closely.

"Sokka…what happened to your cheek?" I look to his side, and see him and Suki holding hands. I look back to his cheek, and start giggling. He had a red mark that took the shape of a closed fan, ridges and all. Suki must have taught him a lesson.

Sokka hung his head low, and quietly muttered. "Never threaten a Kyoshi Warrior, Katara…bad things." I let out another chuckle.

"So, Sugarqueen, you better sleep with both eyes open tonight. Not even one eye will do you justice." Toph says, punching me in the arm.

"Hmph. You better watch your back too." I say, a sly smile slowly spreading on my face. "Oh wait. You can't!"

"That does it!" She says, grinding her teeth. Sokka grabs her shoulder holding her back.

"Shh you two! Aang's coming!"

I instantly forget about Toph and shift my eyes quickly to the back of the palace. Aang slowly walks down the steps, and the crowd of people cheers once again, like they did at the coronation. The gong is struck twice, and the Fire Sages announce his arrival as well.

"Together, the Avatar and the Fire Lord proposed a great movement, that will hopefully bring peace to this broken up world. We welcome them with open minds and open hearts, hoping this great era of peace, will soon become."

Aang slowly walks up to the center of the and patiently waits for the crowd to die down, a big grin spread across his face. I feel my heart pounding inside my chest, and I anxiously wait to hear his voice.

"Bringing peace out of the ashes is going to be hard. But I promise, Zuko and I will do whatever it takes to bring the four nations together in harmony once again. So please, enjoy yourselves tonight, try different foods from other nations. It is the first step in our understanding of one another." He says, everyone quiet in awe over his speech, waiting for him to continue on. Momo flies down from the roof, landing on Aang's shoulder.

"Try the fruit pies! They're an Air Nomad delicacy!" Aang says, an innocent ring to his voice. Momo chirps loudly in agreement, licking his wing.

Aang's eyes slowly scan the crowd, quickly finding mine. I look at him, giving him a shy smile. His grin lifted his cheeks bones, his grey eyes lit up by the colored lanterns hanging above him.

Our lingering gaze doesn't break, and soon, we are slowly gravitating towards each other.

"Here we go…" I hear Toph mumble behind me, but I choose to ignore it.

Aang is making his way down the steps, his handsome new air nomad clothing moving with the cool nighttime wind. I stop at the bottom of them, my hands twisting together nervously behind my back. I feel eyes on me that don't belong to Aang, and I begin feel heat creep up from my neck to my face. He stands on the last step, creating a perfect height differentiation, putting him about an inch taller than me. I instinctively lean forward and he catches me in an embrace.

I lean deeper into the hug, his arms snaking around me protectively. I hear a few people clapping, and a whistle, which I am positive belonged to Toph.

He leans back, pulling me out of my trance. I glance around and realize that all eyes were on us. I feel myself blush, and giggle a little when I see Aang's face, which was as red as a fire flake.

I lean closer to him, our lips mere centimeters away. I brush past his cheeks and put my lips by his ear.

"So…how about that date?"


	5. Elbow Leeches and Koi Fish

My half-eaten slice of blackberry fruit pie sat in front of me. Aang was right. It was absolutely delicous. But, for some reason, I was losing my appetite. I scan my eyes over the crowd, which was now bigger than ever. The sun was just about to set, and the festival was at its peak.

I sigh as I rest my elbow on the table, cupping my chin in my hand. I was only with Aang once the entire night, and it was when we embraced at the bottom of the steps. As soon as we began to walk away together, one of the Earth kingdom generals practically pulled us apart. I haven't seen him since. I look up and I see a familiar blue tattoo peeking through the crowd. I stretch my neck up a little higher, to get a better look.

Well, now I see him. I got a good look at him. He was blushing, scratching the back of his neck as a bunch of fire nation girls stood around him. I angrily cross my arms over my chest.

"You'll get used to it…" Someone says next to me.

"Huh?" I say back, turning my head.

It was Mai. I guess I completely forgot she was there. She doesn't really do much to make her noticeable though.

"It's really funny, actually. A bunch of sad, lonely girls. So desperate." She says, giving a bored sigh. "Oh well."

I look through the crowd and see another cluster of girls. They separate for a split second, and I quickly notice his familiar scar.

"Looks like they got Zuko too." I say, trying hard not to suppress a smile. She just frowns.

"Yeah well, some girl is trying to hold your boyfriend's hand. At least they know Zuko is off limits. They can look, but if they touch, I'll be sure to show them my dagger collection." She says, tapping the side of her waist. I'm assuming that's where she keeps her knives.

"Well, he's not my boyfriend, so, he can do what he wants." I say.

"Oh, well. That's surprising." She says, yawning. "Probably the most surprising thing I've heard all night."

"Well good, be surprised. Why should I care that a bunch of little girls are fawning over him? It's not like they even have a chance with him. He wouldn't even give them the time of day." I say.

Mai chuckles. "It looks like he's giving them the time of day to me…"

"Good for them." I mumble, taking a sip of my cherry-lime juice.

She raises her eyebrows at me. "I just think you're jealous."

I nearly choke on my juice. "Me, jealous? That's ridiculous. Aang can do what he wants!"

"Well, you can sit here and watch your…whatever you call it…flirt with a bunch of prissy girls. I'm going to go rescue Zuko." She says, rising out of her chair. "Have fun…"

I roll my eyes and take another sip from my glass. I slump my shoulders and return to resting my elbow on the table. Maybe I should go over there…I mean, why should those girls have fun with my airbender while I sit here all by myself? I wince at what I just thought. _My airbender. What, is he a possession now, Katara?_

I sit up straight and smooth out my dress. No. Why should I have to go and throw myself at Aang? He's the one who's wasting this time we should be using together to spend it with random girls. He's the real problem here.

I glance back over to Aang. He had a bored look on his face, trying to obviously move away from a girl who was desperately clutching his arm. I could almost feel like there were flames behind my eyes.

Next thing I know, I am getting up from my chair, angrily pushing it behind me. I stomp around our table, clenching my hands into fists. I keep my eyes glued on Aang, who quickly notices me and automatically tries prying off the fire nation girl's death grip around his forearm. I am fuming, and soon enough I am not even a foot away.

"Excuse me! But I have been sitting over there all night waiting for him-." I yell, pointing my finger into Aang's chest. "-And here you are, holding onto him like some elbow leech!" She quickly lets go, her head looking down, shamefully. The other girls behind her start snickering.

"What are you girls laughing about? You're all just as guilty!" I scold them.

Aang puts his hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me. I shake it off.

"I'm leaving." I say, making my way towards the steps.

I reach the top of the steps, only to have Aang quickly grab my hand, forcing me back.

"Katara, please, don't leave. I didn't mean for those girls to crowd me like that… You of all people should know there's nothing to worry about." He says to me, giving me a little smile. I pull my hand away.

"Who says I care about you being surrounded by all those girls?" I say, instantly wishing I didn't. He just laughs, reaching for my hand again.

"No one said anything. Please, stay." He says, looking me in the eyes. I narrow my eyes in response.

"What's so funny?"

He laughs again, pulling me closer. "Nothing, it's just…I've never seen you jealous…"

"Oh! Well, if you think I'm so jealous, maybe it's better for you if I just stay out of your way!" I rip my hand out of his and storm down the hallway, making my way towards my room.

"Katara! Wait! I…I didn't mean that!" I hear him say, running after me. I quickly dash behind a pillar, and hear him run past me.

"What is wrong with me…?" He mumbles to himself, hitting his forehead with him palm. I peek from the side of the pillar, only to see him slowly sulk off, kicking a rock with his foot. Instead of going back towards the festival, he goes in the other direction, towards the garden. I come out from behind the pillar and follow him, watching him closely.

He walks down to the tree by the pond and sits there, staring at his reflection. He sits up straight and closes his eyes, moving his hands to his lap. _Oh for the love of Hei Bai, is he really meditating right now?_ I roll my eyes and make my way over to him, sitting on the grass next to him. I examine his position closely, and try to mimic it. I close my eyes and try to empty my mind.

It is absolutely quiet. The only sounds I can hear are those faintly coming from the people celebrating a couple hundred feet away, Aang's deep breathing, the occasional rustle of the leaves above us, and the light swishing of the pond from the orange and white koi fish that reside there.

I open one eye towards Aang, stumbling back when I realize he was doing the same thing. We lean back and laugh, breaking our silence.

"You would make a good monk." He says, nudging my shoulder with his. "But…I don't think you'd look good bald."

"Don't forget the blue arrow. I definitely can't work that." I say, giggling.

"What? Got something against blue arrows?" He says, crossing his arms.

"Eh, they're all right." I say, shrugging my shoulders. His laugh pierces through the crisp air, giving me goose bumps.

He reaches over and takes my hand, holding it innocently. I lean on his shoulder, enjoying the peace. We sit like that for a while, until he slightly shifts away.

"Katara?" He asks.

"Hmm?" I mumble, missing my headrest.

"I'm sorry I said you were jealous…I didn't mean that." He says, looking down into his lap. "You have all the right to be angry with me."

I let out a light laugh and lay down on my stomach, my face near the edge of the pond. I dip my hand in it, letting the cool water soothe my skin.

"Maybe I got so mad because I was the tiniest bit jealous." I quietly say.

He lies down beside me, and twirls his finger lightly on the top of the pond as well.

"It's weird because, at first I didn't really understand what I was feeling. Then a minute ago, it hit me. I've felt it before." I say, touching a koi fish on its fin.

"What? When have you ever been jealous?" He says with a surprised tone in his voice.

"A few times actually. Kyoshi Island, when all those girls were swarming around you." I say.

"Way back then? But you just met me!" He says, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight.

"That's what made me even more confused. I didn't understand why it bothered me." I say. I glanced at Aang and noticed he was grinning.

"And then another time…during that secret dance party you threw for those fire nation kids. You and that one girl looked pretty good together." I say, mumbling the last part.

"What girl?" He says to me, looking confused.

"You know…the one you danced with?" I say.

"Oh…I guess the only girl I remember dancing with was with you…" He says, a light blush appearing on his cheeks. I couldn't help but do the same.

We sit in silence for a few minutes, when I think of a question.

"How many times have you been jealous?" He laughs, making me nervous.

"Well, I could tell you. But by then, the festival will be over." He stands up, offering me a hand. "Want to go back?"

I smile up at him, and gently take his hand. We begin to walk up the steps when, suddenly, Aang stops. He turns and looks at me, a somewhat frustrated look on his face.

"Katara…what exactly are we right now?" He says, his voice quiet.

"What do you mean?" I ask, slightly confused. I didn't really know what we were, except happy. I was happy. The war was over; everything was the way it should be.

"I mean, are we together or…not?" He says, looking at me intently, waiting for an answer.

"I…I don't know. I think so…" I say, shifting my eyes. "But, I don't want to rush things Aang. I like it the way it is."

"Last night…that kiss… you said you were confused not even a week ago on Ember Island. Why…why did you change your mind?" He says.

I ponder his question for a moment, thinking of a good answer.

"I don't think I ever really changed my mind Aang…I think it has always been made up, or at least a lot longer than just a week ago."

"So, what you're saying is… you liked me before last night?" He says, his eyes still on me. I impatiently sigh.

"Of course I liked you Aang, why in the world would you think otherwise? I know I may have seemed to lead you on at times, but I hope you never took it that way. This is all new to me…" I say, reaching for his other hand. He smiles at me and pulls me closer.

"I know you may not like this but I want to take things slow. I want to be able to be happy and enjoy my time with you without having people bothering us, or pushing us together." I say, rolling my eyes, thinking of the thousands of conversations I had tonight that had 'you' and 'Aang' in the same sentence.

"I understand. As long as I finally know where we stand, anything works for me." He says, suddenly giving me a sly smile. I raise my eyebrows.

"But…the occasional kiss would be nice."

I let out a small laugh and lean into him, gently touching his lips with mine. It was sweet, lasting not too long, but not too short either. We pull away and embrace, him sighing deeply into my hair.

"Katara…?" He says, pulling away. I smile at him, waiting for him to continue his question.

"What do you think Sokka will do when he finds out about us?" He says, nervously biting his lip.

I giggle a little and peck him on the cheek.

"I don't know and I don't care. Sokka probably won't care, or even notice." I say.

"Well, I'm not so sure if he would care or not, but I'm positive he would notice this any day." Aang says, leaning towards me, pressing his lips hard against mine.


	6. Discovered

As we sit at our table, I couldn't stop staring at his lips. The festival was nearly over, Aang and I finally retiring from a night of nonstop dancing. My feet were throbbing, but I couldn't care less. I keep staring at Aang, watching him while he talks to some diplomat about possible peace movement ideas. I guess it was something I was just going to have to get used to.

My eyes found his lips again, and I wanted nothing more than to lean over the table and kiss them. I quickly noticed I was slightly moving forward. Sokka was giving me a questioning look, eyebrows fully raised. I blush and sink into my seat. Sitting there, I begin to fiddle with my hands anxiously, until I hear Aang stand up. He gives the diplomat a respectful bow, sending him on his way. Aang sits back down in his chair, his eyes flickering towards me. He gives me a smile, and places both elbows on the table, cupping his face with his hands.

"What is with you two?" Sokka asks, his eyes shifting from me to Aang a couple of times.

"Hmm?" Aang says, obviously tuning him out, like I was.

Sokka brings his face close to Aang's and raises his eyebrows. He leans back and begins tapping the bottom of his chin.

"You seem different…"

Aang's eyes slightly go wide. "Different how?"

"I don't know…are you growing your hair out again?" Sokka says, touching the top of Aang's head.

"I...I don't think so…" Aang says, feeling his head as well. "Nope, no hair!"

Sokka grabs Aang's arm and lifts it up.

"Hmm…your arms have gotten bigger… You've been working out, haven't you?" Sokka says, snapping his fingers as if he cracked the case.

Aang just gives him a bored look, pulling his arm away. His eyes travel back to mine. He sighs and his lips curl into a smile. "I don't think that's it Sokka…"

Sokka glances over at me and squints his eyes. He points his index finger at my face.

"You look different too!" He says, his voice raising. I roll my eyes.

"Knock it off, Sokka." I grumpily say, slightly worried that he may be getting warmer.

I hear Toph groan next to me.

"Ugh, I can't stand this anymore!" She yells, putting her feet on the table. She angrily points at Aang. "You are so loud! Your heartbeat is giving me a headache!"

"Toph, don't yell at-." I begin to say, only to be rudely interrupt by her for the thousandth time tonight.

"You too Sugarqueen! You're just as guilty!"

Aang and I sink low in our seats, our faces bright red. Sokka turns to Toph and gives her a confused look.

"What are you talking about, Toph?"

She sighs and brings her hand to her eyes, shaking her head. I see Aang slip even lower in his chair, his shoulders slumping.

"Well Sokka, if you must know, it's that those two lovebir-."

"Sokka! Let's go dance!" Suki quickly says, interrupting Toph. She grabs his hand and pulls him out of his chair.

"But…Toph was…" He starts to say, somewhat hesitating Suki's grasp on him. Suki is persistent, however, and soon enough, they were in the middle of the courtyard, swaying to the music. Suki meets my confused stare with a wink. I sigh with relief, and turn around, furrowing my eyebrows in anger towards Toph.

"Toph! What are you doing?" I yell, slamming my hands on the table.

"Me? What are you two doing? I can't even be around you two without feeling all sorts of vibrations!" She says, placing her feet back on the ground. She winces.

"Sugarqueen, right now you're fine. But Twinkletoes, tone it down!" She says, earthbending to send a rock towards Aang's shin.

"You're making me lose my dinner!"

Aang's face is about as red as the sky was during the comet. We sat in silence, waiting for someone to speak. Someone yelling across the courtyard thankfully interrupted the awkwardness that was becoming too much of a rift.

"The fireworks are going to start soon!"

Toph sighs angrily and sits up. "Well, that's my cue. I'm going to bed."

"How come? The fireworks are the best part!" Aang says, reaching for her.

"Meh, I'll manage." She says, waving him off with her hand. "They wouldn't look so great to me anyways"

"Oh…right…" Aang says, awkwardly.

Toph slowly begins walking away. I sigh, feeling both happy and sad that she was leaving. Happy because it will be nice to look at Aang and not worry about how fast my heart is beating. Yet…I feel bad that she couldn't see fireworks. They were my favorite part of the many celebrations we had back home in the Southern Water Tribe. Sure, they probably look a lot better in the Fire Nation, but I loved seeing my father light up a few sparklers when I was a young girl. Toph speaking again quickly interrupted my thoughts.

"You know…you two are going to have to tell Captain Boomerang eventually. He's gonna find out, if not by me, mostly likely from you two, kissing somewhere."

"What? Who said we were kissing?" I say, crossing my arms over my chest. Toph scoffs.

"Oh please, Sweetness. I can sense anything. I may be blind, but even if I wasn't, I could find out about these things by taking one look at Mr. Airbender's face. It's written all over it. You're lucky Sokka is oblivious."

I turn to Aang and glare at him, only for him to give me a shaky laugh and lift his hands up in defense.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone to watch the fireworks. Don't let Sokka catch you!" She says, running towards the palace.

I shake my head and sigh, and look over at Aang. He was back in his original position, elbows on the table, and hands on his cheeks, eyes on me.

"You need to be a little more discrete." I scold him. He simply just shrugs his shoulders.

"I really can't help it though…" He sighs, reaching across the table to grab my hand.

"Want to dance again?" He asks, rising up from the chair, releasing my hand. I begin tugging my hair anxiously.

"I don't know Aang…my feet are still sore from before…and what if Sokka starts asking questions again...?" I say.

"Sokka can ask all the questions he wants…he'll find out eventually anyways." He says, offering a hand to me. " Come on, dance with me…"

I sigh and take his hand. "Alright…one dance though. I don't think my feet can handle anymore after that!"

His lips open into a large grin and we make our way to a secluded part of the courtyard. The music was soft in the background, somewhat audible, but mostly drowned out by the numerous conversations going on at the moment. He places his hands softly around my waist, and pulls me into his chest. I put my hands behind his neck and lean my head over his shoulder, shutting my eyes. We begin swaying together in harmony with the music, keeping a peaceful silence between each other.

The silence was broken by the first crackle and boom of the fireworks, lighting the night sky in orange, red, blue and green. A huge smile spreads across my face.

"Colors of all the four nations…Aang, this is so beautiful." I say, moving my eyes from the sky to him. His eyes were transfixed on the fireworks, putting dashes of color into his calm grey eyes. I couldn't help but watch the fireworks from his own reflection in his eyes. He turns towards me and arches an eyebrow.

"What?" He asks.

"Nothing…your eyes just look…I don't know… colorful." I say, feeling my cheeks heat up. He chuckles and pulls my waist in closer.

"But they're so grey…and blank." He says, sighing into my hair. "They aren't like yours."

"What are you saying? I love your eyes." I gasp, pulling away from him so I can get a better look at them. The colors of blue and orange were dancing around in his eyes.

"They're so…tranquil. And bright." I whisper.

He laughs. "Bright? Katara, they're dull. Nothing like yours. Your eyes are azure…like a clear, transparent lake. Sometimes calm like the ocean on a beautiful sunny day." He squints, evaluating my eyes even more. "But…sometimes they are fierce. Dangerous, even, like the ocean during a storm. That is my favorite part about your eyes."

I look away, knowing my face is a dark shade of red now. I lean in and give him a light kiss on the cheek, turning his cheeks the same color as mine. He pulls me close again, and we dance, the colors of the fireworks lighting up the sky above us. I ignore the pain in my feet and lose myself, swaying with Aang for what must have been a long time. I glance around the courtyard and notice that most everyone was gone. There were a few drunkards still straggling around, and the occasional couple, dancing the way Aang and I were. My heart flips when I think of the word. _Couple. A couple? Is that what people would classify Aang and I as? _ I gently pull away from him, looking him in the eyes for the hundredth time tonight. The fireworks have long stopped and now his eyes were the calm light grey color I loved.

"I think it's time to turn in…" I say, not trying to hide the sadness behind my voice.

"Yeah…you're right." He says, glumly.

We separate from our embrace and make our way towards the steps hand in hand. We reach my room, the door finally reattached due to our shenanigans this morning. I smile at the memory, which seemed so distant.

Aang slowly reaches his arm to the back of his neck.

"So….uh…" He fumbles.

"I had a wonderful time tonight, Aang." I say, stealing the words out of his mouth. He smiles at me shyly.

"Me too…um…" He says, looking down both ends of the hallway. I do the same.

He slowly leans towards me, his eyes closed. I close my eyes as well, waiting for his lips to finally meet mine.

"Ahem."

I snap my eyes open and Aang flies back.

"Ah! What?" He says, putting his arms up in an airbending form. I turn around, only to gasp.

There, casually leaning up against a pillar in front of my room was Sokka, arms sternly crossed.


	7. Goodnight Kiss

I know something was different about you two!" Sokka says, leaning off the wall, making his way towards us. "I guess I was looking at the physical traits…Aang growing hair, what was I thinking."

Aang stands up straight, recovering from being scared senseless. He drops his head in submission.

I, on the other hand, am fuming.

"And what were you doing spying on us?" I growl, putting myself between Aang and my brother. I point a finger in his face. "You have real nerve, Sokka!"

"Hey, I was curious." He says, putting his hands up to block his face from me. I punched him in the shoulder.

"There's a difference between curiosity and being a creep!" I yell, my face red hot from both anger and embarrassment.

"I'm allowed to be a creep! I'm your brother!" He yells back.

"That does not give you a free pass!" I growl.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be so creepy if you weren't so…sketchy!" He says.

I gasp. "How am I being sketchy? I'm not the one hiding behind pillars in the middle of the night!"

"Good thing I did! You and Aang were about to do naughty things!" He says, throwing his hands in the air.

"Kissing isn't naughty Sokka!" I yell back, my hands on my hips defensively.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." He says.

"Guys…" I hear Aang say quietly behind me. I ignore it.

"Oh? So I suppose the only way you know how to kiss is naughty? How hypocritical!" I yell, inches away from Sokka's face.

"I'm allowed! I'm older than you!" He yells back.

"Uh…guys?" Aang says again, his voice a little louder than a whisper now.

"Ugh! By age! I'm mentally five years older than you! You act like a child!" I snap.

"Well, you are a child! Not to mention Aang is two years younger than you!" He yells.

"Don't you dare drag Aang into this! He's a hundred and twelve years old!" I say.

"Katara…Sokka…you might-." I turn around and glare at Aang. He instantly stops talking, his eyes shifting down both ends on the hallway nervously. I turn back towards Sokka.

"He was in an iceberg! That doesn't count!" He says, throwing his hands to his side.

"It counts a whole lot! I can kiss whoever I want, whenever I want!" I yell. "And you can hide behind every pillar for all I care!"

"You're darn right I will!" He says back.

"Shh… people might wake-." Aang says, only to, once again, be ignored.

"I feel sorry for you then!" I say, giving him a cold laugh.

"Why would you be sorry for me? I'm not the one getting their privacy invaded…" He says, crossing his arms.

"Because you'll have to see this every time!" I turn behind me and grab Aang by the arm, swinging him around. His eyes were wide, full of embarrassment, shock, and curiosity.

"Katara what are you-." He starts to say, only to be interrupted by me grabbing his collar, smashing our lips forcefully together.

"Ugh! Stop that! Stop that right now!" Sokka whines, pulling on my arm. I move my arm up and push Sokka away, swatting his face. My lips stay locked on Aang's, with him starting to pull out of shock, moving his lips rhythmically with mine. After a few seconds, we pull away, our eyes half-lidded and short of breath. Aang lets out a small whistle.

I turn towards Sokka, whose face seemed to take color of a green tomato.

"Gee Sokka, you don't look so good…why don't you go and hide behind one of your pillars!"

"Ugh!" He says, moving his hands to cover his eyes. "My eyes! They burn!"

"Oh, grow up!" I groan, taking Aang's hand in mine. Aang was grinning, his face extremely flushed.

Sokka stops making strange noises and calms down. He sighs. "Aang?"

I glare at Sokka, waiting for him to spit out insults. _I swear, if he says anything rude to Aang I'll waterbend him to the moon and back._

I hear Aang gulp nervously. "Yeah, Sokka?"

Sokka's lips curl into a smile. "Good for you buddy."

Aang is quiet for a moment. I look at Sokka, confused.

"Uh…thanks Sokka." Aang says, a timid smile appearing on his face. "You really mean that?"

"Of course I do…I've known you liked my sister for a while now." He says, as a mater of fact.

Aang's mouth opens in disbelief. "What? When did you find out? How?"

"Yeah Sokka, how'd you manage to keep that one a secret?" I say, my hands on my hips.

"I'll have you know, I'm a great secret keeper..." He says, smiling smugly, pointing his finger upwards. "I've known since Aunt Wu's village."

"Yeah right Sokka, you're not that observant." I snort.

"I didn't have to be. Aang practically told me!" He says.

"No I didn't!" Aang says, "You thought I was talking about Meng! Also, aloof? Horrible advice."

"Who's Meng?" I say, crossing my arms. I tap my foot a little.

"Oh. Uh…the girl that worked with Aunt Wu." Aang says. I give him a blank stare, still not registering the name.

"You know…the girl with the hair like this." He says, extending his arms from the sides of his head.

"Oh! Meng! She was so sweet!" I say, remembering the small little girl with her outrageous pigtails.

Aang laughs nervously. "Yeah…she had some sort of crush on me. I was too occupied trying to impress you…or not try, because Sokka said being aloof is the best option."

I give Sokka a sad look.

"What? It was great advice! I mean it obviously worked!" Sokka says, pointing between Aang and me.

"It was terrible advice…" Aang mumbles, obviously remembering how silly he acted. I chuckle a little to myself.

"Well, I thought it was cute." I say, pecking him on the cheek.

"Yuck! None of that!" Sokka says, sticking out his tongue. I twitch my eyes angrily.

"Give it a rest Sokka!" I yell into his face. Sokka slowly backs up, cowering a little from my outburst. I smooth out my hair in achievement.

"So…how did you figure out my feelings for Katara anyway…I still think you thought I was talking about Meng." Aang says, giving Sokka an inquisitive look.

"Well, that's partially true. But I even teased you about liking Katara." Sokka says, letting out a little chuckle.

"When did you do that? I would have obviously noticed." I say.

"No offense Katara, but you were about as oblivious as a rock." He says back to me.

"Sokka, that analogy doesn't even make sense!" I growl.

Sokka waves me off, looking back towards Aang. "A necklace Aang, could you be anymore obvious?" I look down, realizing the signs started so early…maybe I was oblivious. Well, at least in the beginning.

"_Katara, I made you a necklace, you know, because you lost your other one! Oh thanks, Aang, it's beautiful, I am never going to take it off! Aw shucks Katara, only for you. You are so cute, just like Momo!"_ Sokka mimics, replying the past for us. Or, poorly replaying it, that is.

"I don't sound like that…" Aang murmurs, not pleased by the way Sokka used a high-pitched tone for Aang when he mimicked him.

"I didn't compare Aang to Momo!" I say, in my defense.

"Actually Katara…you kind of did…" Aang says, giving me a half-smile. _Wow. I was really oblivious. _

"Oh…wow. I'm sorry. That was kind of a jerk move." I whisper, biting my cheek.

Aang grabs my hand. "It's okay! I think you made up for it." I return the gesture with a smile, squeezing his hand.

"Smoochie, smoochie, someone's in love!" Sokka says, forming kissy lips. "Does that ring a bell?"

I stare at Sokka in confusion, not sure what to make of what he just said. I turn to Aang, and notice a slight blush forming on his cheeks. I sigh.

"Sokka, stop teasing him!" I scold.

"You know that'll never happen Katara. I'll tease you both for as long as I want to!" Sokka says, giving a sure nod. I hear Aang sigh next to me.

"Alright, well, I'm tired and I'm going to say goodnight to Aang, so you can leave now." I grump, pushing Sokka down the hall. He shrugs out of my grasp.

"Oh no you don't! Aang already got his goodnight kiss!" Sokka grabs Aang by the arm and drags him down the hall with him. "Say goodnight Katara!"

"I'm not finished with him yet! Bring him back here! Sokka!" I say, stomping my foot.

"You've finished enough, trust me, I saw you finishing pretty vividly." Sokka echoes, nearly at the end of the hall now.

"Goodnight Katara! See you tomorrow morning!" Aang says, barely audible now.

I growl and stomp into my room, slamming the door behind me. I angrily slip out of my dress, revealing only my undergarments. I throw myself into my bed and throw the covers over my face, finally letting the wave of embarrassment from Sokka catching Aang and I wash over me. I lay like that for a while when a soft knock comes from my door. I groan a little and sluggishly get out of bed.

"Sokka, I swear, if you're here to scold me some more I'll-."

I open the door and I am instantly met with a soft kiss. My eyes shoot wide open, only to close again realizing the familiar lips on my own. Our lips move together, sweet but lingering. He teases me slightly by letting his tongue touch the bottom of my lip, and when I open my mouth for him to explore, he doesn't move his tongue from its original teasing spot. I feel myself pout into the kiss and he chuckles slightly.

We pull away, my head spinning.

"Goodnight." Aang says, his eyes darting over me excitedly. I look down and realize I was pretty revealed, being only in my undergarments. I blush and tuck a piece of hair behind my ear nervously. Aang leans up and kisses me gently on the cheek, and with that, he leaves, bounding down the hallway towards his room.

I'm not sure exactly how long I stood under my doorway for.

* * *

I just want to thank everyone for the reviews, author & story favoring/alerts. I really love it that all of you are enjoying this story so much. I am actually writing a book of my own on my spare time, but I wanted to test out my writing style with none other than writing a story about my favorite couple and my favorite show. Also, a new Legend of Korra is today and I am pretty much dying inside to see Korra talk to Aang! Wish you all a happy Korra Saturday, and please review and keep reading! I'll try to post as much as I can. If I ever take too long, please feel free to message me! And if any of you are interested in reading some snippets of my own book I am currently attempting to work on, I'll be happy to send you some promos of it! I need all the criticizing I can get! Thanks again! Your responses to my story is really making my boring summer go a little faster! :)


	8. Bad Dream

I'm not too fond of this chapter, but oh well! Sorry it took me so long to get a chapter up (well, longer than usual for me). My weekends are pretty hectic, I'm going crazy with three jobs. I hope you all like this, I promise, the next chapter is so much better. I wrote some snippets today at work. So far I love it! And I'm going to try for a plot here, but nothing too crazy. But it'll pop up in the next five chapters (hopefully, I really like dragging things out, as you can tell).

Also, I nearly had a heart attack watching the new Legend of Korra that aired this past Saturday. Aang as an adult is freaking gorgeous. I don't think I can handle a season finale already, though. Oh well :/

I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Bryan & Mike do!

**ALSO, THE PROMISE PART 2 COMES OUT JUNE 12th! Aka, tomorrow! Thank god.**

* * *

_I wake up the next morning, and everything is dark. The sky is a dark red, with tints of orange, yellow, and black lining the eerily flattening clouds. A loud, bloodcurdling scream rings outside my room, and I quickly jump out of my bed, running out the door. The scream comes again, sending shivers down my spine, making me run even faster down the dark hallway. I reach the end of it, and the screaming stops. I stop dead in my tracks, only to see Sokka and Suki kneeled down holding each other, crying. Sokka quickly bounds up, tackling me to the ground_

_"Katara! Get out of here! Get out!" He screams to my face. My eyes burn and tears slowly build up in my eyes. I feel a pair of hands on me as Zuko lifts me up, taking me back to my room. I thrash and kick, sending myself out of his clutches and falling, hitting the cold marble floor hard. I run, dodging Sokka's attempt to grab me again. What I see on the floor in front of me makes me keel over, covering my face with my hands. I scream loudly, tears pouring out of my eyes. I drop my hands and look again, my body shaking. There, on the floor in front of me, was Aang. His eyes were closed and I couldn't see him breathing. The center of his chest was red and severely sliced open. I felt a hand on my shoulder._

_"Katara…it was Azula. She shot him with lightning…he's gone." Sokka says. I place my hands back on my face, staying silent._

_"Katara…?" I hear Sokka again._

_This time, I respond to him. Only, instead of using words, I scream._

"Katara? Katara!" I hear, my body shaking up and down. "Wake up! Please!"

My eyes shoot open. I am met with a familiar pair of wide grey eyes, and blue arrow. I let out a sob and throw my arms around him, clutching him with all my might. My face was wet, obvious that I was crying in my sleep.

"Shh…it's okay. I'm here." Aang coos, brushing my hair with his hands soothingly.

"I t-thought…I lost you!" I let out, sobs interrupting my sentence.

"I'm here, everything is okay. Just a bad dream." He quietly whispers.

"How did you know?" I ask. I release my grip around his neck and lay back down onto my pillow, looking up into his eyes. I sniffle a few times. He sighs and smiles at me.

"I was walking to the garden to meditate when I heard you in here. I decided to investigate, and when I walked in, you started screaming. That's when I had to wake you up." He says.

He grabs my hand and squeezes it. I smile up at him and give a sleepy sigh, realizing that I was very exhausted.

"Are you okay?" He asks, his eyes not leaving mine.

"I think so…" My lip quivers and a few tears come down my face again. "Aang…it was such a horrible nightmare!" I roll over and bury my face in my pillow. He gently runs his hand up and down my back.

"It was only a dream. I'm here, you're here, and everything is going to be all right." He says. "I promise, I won't let anything happen to you Katara. Not even in your dreams."

I let out another sob. "But it wasn't that! It was my entire fault! I let something happen to you!" I yell, my voice coming out muffled from my face being buried in my pillow.

"Shh…just go to sleep Katara. I'll stay with you. I promise." He says, standing up.

I sigh and look up from my tear-stained pillow. I give him a weak smile and he bends down and kisses me sweetly on the cheek.

"Go to sleep." He whispers into my ear.

I nod and turn on my side, watching him walk away from my bed and grab two candles, setting them down directly across from where I was facing. He sits with his legs crossed, and firebends flames onto the candles. He then sets his hands in his lap, and closes his eyes. I watch in awe as he meditates, the candlelight bringing out his defined features of his face. I bite my lip, realizing he looks very attractive in this particular lighting. With every inhale he takes, the flame on the candle shrinks, and when he exhales, it expands. My eyes widen as I take in every detail of Aang I am now noticing. I realize that he was, in fact, not wearing a shirt. I feel my face heat up as I stare at his chest, cuts and bruises from his fight with Fire Lord Ozai still very prominent. I cringe at the sight, realizing I haven't done a proper healing session on him. I sigh a little and sit up, reaching for my water pouch on the nightstand next to my bed. I place my feet quietly on the floor, trying not to disturb him. I, of course, go unnoticed. _Of course he heard you Katara… he's an earthbender. _One of his eyes open, his eyebrow going up with it.

"I'm healing you." I calmly say, making my way over to him. He puts his hands up in defiance.

"No, no, Katara. I'm fine. Trust me. Just get some sleep." He says. I ignore him and take a seat next to him, bending the water out of my pouch onto my hands.

"Well, I can't ignore your cuts and bruises." I say, holding my now glowing hands up. "Relax your muscles." He smiles a little and closes his eyes, taking deep breaths. The candlelight around us moves in harmony with his breathing, making this feel almost surreal. I press my hands on his chest where the injuries are located and furrow my eyebrows. I feel his chi and the flow of his energy in his body. I take a deep breath and move my hands to more cuts, letting the cool water touch it, glow, and seep into his skin. After a few moments, the once red cuts are now small scratches, and the purple bruises hardly visible. I smile at my work and lean back, admiring the extremely relaxed expression on Aang's face. He opens his eyes and pouts.

"Done already?" He whines. I let out a small laugh and stand up, setting my water pouch back on my nightstand.

"Yes, good thing there weren't as many as I expected." I say, sitting back down in front of him. His face falls, and I gently touch him on the shoulder.

"Aang…is everything okay?" I ask.

"Yeah…everything is fine." He says, his face in deep concentration. "Actually, Katara?"

"Yes?" I say, a confused and worried look washing across my face.

"Can you take a look at the scar on my back?" He says, eying me nervously. I take a deep breath, knowing that healing the scar will bring back memories. Memories that consist of me hopelessly trying to mend Aang back to health while he was on death's door. I shake off the thought and try to force a smile onto my lips.

"Of course I can." I say. I retrieve my water skin once more and walk around Aang, kneeling behind him. I bend the water onto my hands and place them on his scar, focusing all my energy from my hands to the water, then onto Aang. The water glows and takes shape over his scar, and I hear him sigh in relief.

"Thanks Katara…" He says, as I am still moving the water around his back. After a while, I recoil my hands, letting the water fall onto the floor. He turns his head over his shoulder and smiles at me.

"You should get some sleep now…" He whispers, bringing a hand to my face. I lean towards him and give him a light kiss on the cheek.

"Don't stay up too long, Aang." I whisper, standing up. I go back to my bed and snuggle under my covers.

"Katara…?" Aang whispers. It was almost such a low sound, I felt like I was imagining it.

"Yes?" I murmur back.

"I love you." He says, his voice evidently shaking. I smile into my pillow and turn around in my bed, facing him. The candlelight was swaying, his breath creating a breeze. His eyes were wide and full of anticipation.

"I…love you too." I whisper back, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear, getting a better look at him. He blows out the candle and stands up, his footsteps gently touching the ground, making no sounds. He leans down and kisses me on the forehead, his lips lingering there for a little while. I sigh deeply as my eyes slowly close, as if his kiss was lulling me to sleep.

"Goodnight." He says softly against my hair. I am too tired to say anything, so I just respond with a weak smile and nod, hoping he sees it.

"If you have another bad dream, I'll be here. I promise." He whispers, his voice barely audible now. I hear his footsteps fade and my door opening and closing.

I fall into a peaceful sleep, half of me wishing for a dreamless night, and the other half wishing for another nightmare so Aang will be here, just like he promised.


	9. Breakfast

"We have to leave already? But I was just getting comfortable!" Sokka whines, taking a bite out of his apple.

"Well…I have to meet with the Earth King in Ba Sing Se, along with Zuko to talk about the peace movement…" Aang says, walking over to the table, sitting next to me.

"Yeah but…you are the only one who really has to go!" Sokka says. I glare at him.

"Snoozles, I don't know if you've forgotten, but we're just as important as Mr. Fancypants Avatar over here." Toph says, patting Aang on the shoulder.

"Hmm…that is true. But shouldn't we get to at least relax for a little while?" Sokka says, picking up a piece of breakfast dumpling.

"We can relax in Ba Sing Se… at my Uncle's tea shop. We'll be there for a while, anyways." Zuko says, picking up empty plates.

"It'll be like old times! Nothing like the Dai Li and rules and regulations of a big city!" Toph sarcastically says, "I wonder if they ever fixed our nice house we got to stay in?"

Sokka snickers. "You destroyed that pretty bad…it's still probably under construction."

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Toph says, giving a quick laugh. "Good times…good times."

"Well, my Uncle's tea shop has an apartment with a few extra bedrooms above it. You guys can stay there if you'd like." Zuko offers, taking a seat next to Mai. He smiles and whispers something into her ear, making her laugh.

"It would be an honor, Zuko." Aang says, flashing him a smile.

I smile as well, looking down at my untouched plate of sliced mango. I pick up a slice and eat it, letting the sweet fruit satisfy my hunger that has been biting at me for the past few days.

"Mmm… I didn't realize how hungry I've been until now." I say, closing my eyes in pleasure.

"Well, maybe if you ate more last night…but, I understand. Something or, rather, someone else was on your mind." Toph says, smirking at me. I roll my eyes. _Oh boy…here we go._

Aang stifles a particularly big yawn. He sighs and rubs his sleepy eyes. Sokka's eyebrows go up.

"Didn't sleep last night?" He asks, crossing his arms. Aang quickly moves his hands from his face and brings them to his side.

"I…uh…yeah. I didn't get too much sleep last night." Aang says, slightly biting his lip. Sokka glances at me for a few moments. I arch an eyebrow at him. He squints his eyes, as if to evaluate me.

"You look tired too…you didn't get any sleep last night, too!" He questions, his eyes going wide.

"I had a bad dream, Sokka. Couldn't sleep much after it." I calmly say, picking up another piece of mango.

"Uh huh…sure. I'm watching you two…" Sokka says, sitting up from the table. He leaves the patio we were eating at and walks inside.

"What's his deal?" Zuko asks, giving Aang and I an inquisitive look. I simply shrug my shoulders in response.

"It's Sokka, what do you expect?" I say, rolling my breakfast dumpling across my plate with my fork.

Toph laughs, making me jump.

"What's so funny?" I growl at her. This makes her laugh even harder.

"Oh nothing…I just love it when I'm right." She says, pretending to wipe a tear from her eye.

"Right about what? What is going on?" Zuko asks, crossing his arms over each other on the table. "Why am I always the last person to know things?"

Toph giggles even more, now standing up.

"I don't want to spill the big secret, if you even call it that. So, you'll just have to find out yourself, dancing dragon." She says, walking inside behind Sokka.

"Stop calling me that!" Zuko yells after her.

Suki sighs. "I swear, sometimes I wonder if Toph and Sokka are the same person." She grabs her plate and sits up as well.

"Oh, Zuko?" She asks, turning around before going inside through the drapes. "Is there enough room in your Uncle's apartment for me as well? I'd love to see Ba Sing Se…"

"Of course! There are…I think…four rooms. One for my Uncle, one for me and Mai, and one for you and…I'm assuming Sokka, right?" Zuko says, counting them on his hand.

She smiles. "Right."

"Well, there is a room that can fit three people…you and Sokka can have it, but who else would bunk with you guys?" Zuko asks, awkwardly looking at Aang and I.

"I…I…guess I could?" Aang says, shyly raising his arm. He puts a piece of bread in his mouth. Suki's laugh echoes through the halls of the patio.

"Oh, no! Toph can stay with us! Aang and Katara should get their own room. Together!" She says, clasping her hands together in excitement. And with that, Suki walks inside.

My face is warming up with slight embarrassment over the whole situation. Aang starts coughing, nearly choking on the food he just tried to eat.

"Oh, um…is that okay with you two?" Zuko asks, obviously embarrassed as well.

I give him a light-headed nod in response. Aang is still coughing, trying to muster out a response as well.

"Uh, yeah…t-that should be…uh…fine." He croaks, clearing his throat.

Zuko gives us a weak smile, and sits up from the table.

"Well, we should leave in a few hours then, so we can get there in three days. I'm assuming we're flying on Appa?" Zuko says, Mai standing up beside him.

"Yeah, it would be a lot faster than taking a ship. Plus, I'd rather not go through the Serpent's Pass again." Aang says, his voice finally clearing up. Still speechless, I nod in agreement.

"Alright good. Well…I, uh yeah. We'll go start packing." Zuko says, leaving an awkward rift in the air as he leaves the deck. Mai chuckles and follows him inside.

Aang and I sit in silence for a few moments. He suddenly laughs a little and I look at him, confused. I quickly smile and begin laughing along with him.

"That went…well." He says, taking another bite of his banana bread.

My chuckles turn into a groan, and I cover my face with my hands.

"I'm going to need to keep a tab on how many times I have to get Toph back. She has like…five strikes." I say, my voice muffled behind my hands.

He laughs some more and reaches for my hands, pulling them off my face.

"To be honest, I don't think Zuko had much of a clue. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure Mai did." He says, entwining his fingers with mine. I give him a light chuckle.

"Yeah, Mai accused me of being jealous last night. And she thought we've been together for a lot longer than we are." I say.

I pondered that thought for a moment. I wonder…how long did she think Aang and I were together? Did we ever appear like a couple to others that weren't necessarily in our group of friends? If I were to look in an outsider's point of view, I would have to say sometime after our fall in Ba Sing Se, Aang and I looked more like a couple than just friends. Were we even together? I furrow my eyebrows in thought when Aang's laugh brings me back.

"I don't think we looked much like a couple…you?" He asks, eying me carefully. I sigh.

"I don't know…to each other and to Sokka and Toph, no. But…I can't help but to wonder what other people thought of us." I say, trying to collect my thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Aang asks, a puzzled look on his face.

"I mean we were always directly next to each other… every second of the day. The way we danced during that secret dance party you threw. I don't know…we hugged a lot." I say. I suddenly think back to all the times we touched. I shuddered at the thought. We touched a whole lot, or…I touched him. I couldn't even count the number of times I held him close to me in fear, or brought my hand up to his face. I even kissed him on cheek multiple times. I turned to him and smiled weakly.

"I did…touch you a lot." I quietly say, biting my lip, embarrassed. He shyly smiles, and lets out a shaky laugh.

"That may be a little true…but who said I minded?" He says, his cheeks turning pink. I hum in thought. The sun was shining brightly, not a cloud in the sky. This is a beautiful day for flying on Appa. If we leave early enough, we might be able to make it across the ocean to the end of the Earth Kingdom by the end of today. Then we could probably make it just past the Serpent's Pass the next day. It'll be nice to just camp out like old times.

I think back to our ordeal on the Serpent's Pass. It was not a time I like to really remember. When Aang was so emotionally damaged about losing Appa in the desert. Then, when we finally made it through the pass, he became hopeful again. That conversation we had right after baby Hope was born still makes my heart surge. His words flow back to me.

"_Seeing this family together, so full of happiness and love…reminded me how I feel about Appa. And how I feel about you."_

I suddenly gasp.

"Aang?" I say, my eyes wide. He has been holding my hand the entire time, enjoying the sunlight while I was reminiscing.

"Hmm?" He says, very relaxed.

"Remember the Serpent's Pass…and how we had that small conversation outside of the tent that family was in?" I ask, still slowly putting the pieces together.

"Of course." He says, now turning to face me. He raises his eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…I remembered something that you said to me. Something that I can't believe I didn't understand until now." I say, taking his other hand in my free one. His face was still puzzled.

"You admitted your feelings for me, even way back then. It took me this long to finally realize it. Aang…I am so sorry. Sokka was right. I really have been oblivious." I say, my voice getting quiet. Aang laughs and brings my hands up to his chest.

"I don't think you were oblivious, Katara." He says, our faces close. "And even if you were, it doesn't really matter now, does it?"

I smile back at him. "No. I don't think it does. And I've been doing a lot of thinking. I don't think I was necessarily oblivious. I think I was just afraid. If it means anything now, I think my way of telling you I felt the same way was not necessarily saying it. I guess all the touching was my own subconscious mind trying to convey my feelings to you because my own conscious mind was too stubborn to do so." I say, looking off into the distance. I was too engrossed into thinking about this conversation, that I didn't notice that Aang was not even an inch away from my face. I blush when I realize this.

"You talk too much." He says, leaning in to kiss me. Our lips meet briefly when he pulls away. He airbends himself up and pulls me up as well.

"Shall we go pack our things then?" He says, picking up our empty plates.

"We better get started, we've been siting out here for a while…me and my emotional speeches…" I say, rolling my eyes in mock of myself.

"I'll have you know, I love those preachy, emotional speeches you give. They work on me." He says, squeezing my hand.

"Well, you sure have a way with words, Mr. Avatar." I say, leaning down slightly to kiss him on the cheek. "Now, if only you could grow just a little bit."

He gives me a playful scowl. "Just watch, one day I'll be so tall, you'll need a step stool just to kiss me."

"Mmm, I don't think I'll have to try that hard to get a kiss from you." I tease, letting go of his hand to walk in my room.

"That's most likely true…" He sighs, standing outside my door.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." I mumble, leaning on the side of my door.

"Well, see you in a little bit." He says, still standing outside my room.

"Yup. See you." I say back, swaying on my toes.

"Okay. I'm gonna go now." He says, still not budging.

"Okay, Bye Aang." I say back, trying to hold back my growing laughter building up inside.

"Uh, yeah…Bye." Aang says, looking down at his feet. I roll my eyes and kiss him lightly on the lips.

"Bye." I say, a small chuckle coming out of mu mouth. He grins and bounds away from me, sending a whirl of air behind him that tousles my hair. I giggle and close the door. I lean my back on the closed door and sigh, smoothing my hair back. I stand like that for a while, thinking about the conversation I had with Aang a few moments ago. I smile to myself and come back to Earth, realizing I have yet to begin packing.

These next few days of travelling will be ones to remember.


	10. Aromas

**So, get this. I had this story all perfectly planned and written up Wednesday afternoon, so I could post a chapter last night. But I left it at work! Oh, and it gets better. I was writing another chapter last night to have at least something to post, and boom. I got food poisoning. It was terrible. **

**So, I made sure to make this chapter extra long, to make up for not posting anything last night. Also, please let me know if these are getting too romantic. I just can't help it; I love Katara and Aang's relationship! **

**Enjoy! This is one of my favorite chapters.**

* * *

The Fire Nation palace slowly fades behind us as we make our way on Appa towards our first destination. We are to reach the edge of the Earth Kingdom, exactly east from the Fire Nation. I look down over Appa's head and see the blur of the ground below me quickly transition into the blue of the ocean. We are going to be travelling over ocean for the entire day, which will take a few long hours. Compared to most of our travels, this is almost nothing. I lean back and sigh, staring up into the cloudless sky. I feel myself frown a little; I love admiring the weird shapes the clouds take sometimes. But cloudless skies meant beautiful starry nights, which instantly brought my mood up. And, even better news; there is a new moon tonight, which means an even clearer view of the stars. I will miss the full moon though, of course. I am just starting to feel relaxed, until Sokka speaks up.

"Alright, so in the first hour, we should be past this point of the ocean. And before the second hour, we should be about here." Sokka says, pointing at random spots on the map. I groan.

"Sokka, no matter what, we will still be over ocean." I say, rolling my eyes.

"That is correct. But we will have to keep track of how much ocean we've passed." He says, pointing a finger up idiotically.

"But how will you know what 'point' we are at if everything looks the same?" I say back, crossing my arms. "You won't know by looking at just the patch of blue on the map."

He lifts up the map close to his face. "Oh uh…wait, that's not…" He says to himself, flipping the map nervously upside down. His shoulders slouch.

"Let's just get there when we get there." He says, crumpling up the map and shoving it in his bag.

"Don't be so down, Sokka! Appa will get us there in no time! He's had sometime to relax, after all." Aang cheerfully says, leaning down by Appa's eye. "Didn't you, buddy?" Appa groans in agreement. I let out a small smile at the sight of their interaction.

The air hitting my face is cold, but the aroma is what keeps me from grabbing a blanket on the saddle. It was the familiar mixture of ocean water, small hints of clean cut grass, linen, and at times, jasmine. I loved the odd combination of smells, as they were unique. I silently chuckle to myself. Maybe the real reason I love the smell so much is because it is the same exact way Aang smelled. I always wondered how he smelled like that until I figured it out the same way I am trying to understand it now. It was when we left General Fong's, after Aang had an episode with his Avatar State; General Fong trying to force it out of him. We were flying to get to Omashu when I realized the comparison between Aang and the air.

"_Ugh, Aang! Tell Appa to fly faster! At this rate, we'll never make it to Omashu…" Sokka complained, staring down at his map._

"_We'll probably have to stop one night prior to getting there…Appa is getting tired." Aang said back, petting his bison gently by the ear. "Aren't you, buddy?"_

_Sokka stuck out his tongue and groaned. "Katara, what do you have to say about this?" He said, looking towards me. I ignored him._

"_Uh…Katara? Hello?" He said again, waving his hand in front of my face. I pushed it away._

"_We'll get there when we get there, Sokka! You're not the one whose been flying for a whole day straight!" I growl at him, patting Appa just below the saddle. _

"_Oh…Whatever! Wake me when we get to…wherever!" Sokka yelled, turning over on to his side and shutting his eyes. I went back to looking down at the ground from the side of Appa's saddle. The air was chilly, but I didn't mind. I loved the smell, and no matter how cold it was I just couldn't resist it._

"_Whatcha doin'?" Aang said, pulling me out of my trance._

"_Hmm? What?" I said, turning towards him._

"_Nevermind. I'm just bored I guess." He said back, dropping Appa's reins._

_I smiled back at him. I stood up and walked over to where Aang was sitting on Appa's head, and sat next to him._

"_Have you ever just sat back and smelled the air?" I said._

"_Smelled the air?" He said back, looking at me with an arched eyebrow._

"_Yeah. I love it. It smells like the ocean. And clean clothes. But sometimes, if you try really hard, you can get whiffs of freshly cut grass and pink jasmine." I said, dreamily smiling._

_Aang stretched his neck and began sniffing the air aggressively. He looked at me and shrugged._

"_I don't smell anything. It just smells like…air. I don't know. Maybe I'm too used to it?" He said, still trying to sniff something he obviously can't smell. I laughed._

"_Well, of course you're used to it!" I said, playfully punching him on the shoulder. He smiled and went back to guiding Appa as I laid back and closed my eyes, falling into a light sleep._

"_Guys! We're here! Not so sure where, but… it's by a little river." Aang said, rousing me from sleep._

"_We can practice some waterbending tomorrow!" He said, looking down at me. I smiled._

"_Sure, Aang. We can start first thing in the morning." I said, stretching my arms up. I hopped off Appa and noticed the sun was still out, just low in the sky. _

"_I can wash our clothes, so they'll be fresh and clean when we go to Omashu." I said, turning towards Aang and Sokka. They hopped off Appa as well and quickly stripped out of their clothes, leaving only their undergarments. I picked up their discarded clothes off the ground and made my way towards the river, a little farther down from where we were camped. I heard Aang yell something and then a huge splash came afterwards. I grinned and rolled my eyes, kneeling down by the water. I stripped out of my own water tribe garment and washed that first, hanging it to dry on the tree branches behind me. I washed Sokka's next, which as usual, took the longest. After I hang Sokka's clothes up, I lifted up Aang's and I frowned, realizing he had a few holes in his robes. I reached for my thread and needle, and began working on the holes, slowly patching them up. I held it up when it was finished, admiring my work. _

_The wind blew, letting the fabric brush my face. My eyes go wide and I drop it. It smelled just like the air. My air. The scent that I've grown attached to ever since I left home. And Aang reeked of it. Maybe it was because we were up in the sky for a while today. I sniffed my own arm, hoping for traces of the smell on me. _

_Nope. I put my arm down. Nothing. I brought up Aang's shirt to my nose and sniffed it. My lips curled into a smile. There were the obvious smells of the ocean and fresh linen, but the usual small tints of jasmine and grass were much more prominent. I set down his shirt and slapped my forehead._

_Of course he couldn't smell it earlier today! Because he is the air. I brought my hand to my mouth, and covered it, stifling my laughter. I sigh and finally put his clothes into the water, washing them, and then hanging them to dry. I walk back over to our camp and realized Sokka and Aang were passed out asleep. I rolled my eyes and snuggled into my sleeping bag, quickly falling asleep._

_The next morning, Aang and I were up bright and early, practicing his waterbending. He kept getting one of his forms wrong, getting himself frustrated and confused. I walked behind him and grabbed his arms, motioning him into the right stance. I could barely contain my smile when the familiar scent of jasmine and ocean air filled my nostrils._

I snap out of my memory, only to realize I leaned my head on Aang's shoulder. I squirm a little, and Aang looks down, flashing me a tired smile.

"Aang! The sun is almost setting! And I've run out of food!" Sokka says, holding his empty food bag upside down.

I sadly sigh. Even months later, Sokka still hasn't changed one bit. Aang is still smiling, probably thinking the same thing I was.

"Like I said before, we'll be there soon." Aang says, gently petting Appa's head. "Appa hasn't flown this much in ages."

"No kidding." Sokka mumbles, throwing his empty bag down.

"From where we are according to this map, we shouldn't be far from our destination." Zuko says, pointing at the small peninsula at the edge of the Earth Kingdom. "It'll probably be another hour, really."

Sokka groans. "One hour without food."

"I think you can survive, meathead." Toph grumbles, lying flat on her back. Sokka glares at her.

"Meathead. Ha ha. Nice one."

"I thought it was pretty spot on." Mai sighs, giving a slight smile. Sokka pouts his bottom lip, his eyes giving her a bored look. She returned the expression, just as well.

"It's okay Sokka. I still love you, even though you sometimes are a…meathead." Suki says, covering her mouth when she begins laughing.

Sokka says something else, but I tune it out, looking over the horizon.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Aang says quietly, looking over towards me.

I smile contently. "This smell…it never changed."

"You know, I kept trying to see if I could smell anything ever since you mentioned it to me…I still can't." He says, his nostrils flaring. "Maybe my nose is broken."

I laugh a little and sit up, kissing him on the cheek, letting my face linger by his just for a few split seconds so I can discretely smell him.

Or, not so discrete.

"Did you just…smell me?" Aang says, his voice somewhat playful.

I ignore the comment. "You know why you can't smell it? The jasmine, the freshly cut grass and fresh linen-y ocean?" I say, giving him a cheeky smile.

"Those are very distinct…smells." He teases.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, well, it's your scent, dummy."

"My scent? I have a scent?" He says, sounding somewhat surprised, yet intrigued. He sniffs his sleeve. "Nope, nothing."

"That's because it's yours. I couldn't tell you what I smelled like…because I'm used to it. You're used to that aroma. I wasn't at first, but now I think I'm getting accustomed to it." I say, a teasing smile forming on my lips.

"Not that I'd really find it to be a burden. It's one of my favorite fragrances." I finish.

His lips form into a sheepish grin. "I'm your favorite…fragrance? This pleases me." He says, his cheeks turning red.

"Yeah…it's the jasmine that gets me though. It's so strange combined with the other aromas." I say.

"You smell like jasmine too, you know?" He says, his voice getting quiet.

"Me? What? Do I smell like anything else?" I anxiously say, sniffing some strands of my hair. He chuckles and then ponders for a second.

"Yeah…you do. You smell like…summer rain and the beach. And like cherry blossom, along with jasmine. But more of cherry blossom." He says, reaching for my hand. I laugh nervously.

"Oh. Cherry blossom?" I say, wanting to hear more.

"Mmm yeah…cherry blossom. I love that smell. It's my favorite, actually. We used to have cherry blossom trees all over the Southern Air Temple. I always meditated underneath one. Just so I had something nice to smell while I was sitting for hours." He says, leaning his head back on Appa's fur. I do the same.

"But, the way the cherry blossom and your other scents combine together make it all the better." He whispers into my ear, his breath tickling me.

"Well, I'm flattered." I say, trying to hide my blush by looking up at the sky. He sighs.

"So…I smell like the air huh? That makes sense. I am an airbender, you know." He says.

"You don't say?" I joke, nudging him with my shoulder. "Now you're going to start telling me you're the Avatar." He laughs for a bit and then gets quiet.

"Katara…since we are talking about smells." He says, sitting up and turning around quickly to glance at everyone else sitting in the saddle. He flops back down next to me.

"How would we describe their…scents?" He asks, his face glowing with a mischievous smile. I chuckle a little before pondering his question.

"Hmm. Well, I'd have to say Sokka…well, I don't really know. Guess I've been around him far too long." I say, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Kinda like snow. And…some sort of food." Aang says, chuckling.

"Yeah, always some kind of food." I say, laughing as well. I peer over at Suki. "Suki kind of smells like vanilla." Aang nods in agreement. Our eyes move over to Zuko and Mai.

"Hmm…I've never really gotten close enough to Mai to sniff her." Aang says, squinting his eyes. I laugh.

"And that probably wouldn't be a good idea." I say.

"Zuko smells like smoke." Aang says, turning around.

I nod. "It's a little strong sometimes too." I always hated the way Zuko smelled. I knew it was self-explanatory, him being a firebender and all. But, I was never be able to get used to it.

"Toph…?" Aang begins to say, looking down at me. I begin to laugh, knowing my answer.

"Smells like dirt." Aang and I both say, at the same time. We burst out laughing, clutching our stomachs.

"Shh!" Sokka says, annoyed that we've woken him from his slumber. I slap my hand over my mouth, and over Aang's as well. Our laughs slowly die down, just to small giggles. I lean over and kiss his lips, still chuckling. I lean on his shoulder, and we sit together, watching the sun slowly slip under the horizon.


	11. Star Gazing

**So, I am not sure if any of you really watch Legend of Korra, but my god, the last episode made me tearbend. Hardcore.**

**Anyways, this week is kind of hectic for me, but I will do my best to post as much as I can. Enjoy! :)**

**Also, if any of you are interested, I found a download online that contained all the music from ATLA. It's beautiful, and what I listened to when I wrote this chapter.**

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"There is no way I am sleeping on the ground…" Mai says, holding her sleeping bag up with two fingers. "Ugh!" She lets it drop to the floor.

"You could sleep in Appa's saddle. I'm sure he won't mind." Aang says, laying his staff on the ground. Appa happily groaned. Mai just responds with her usual sigh.

"As long as I'm not in the dirt, I'm fine."

"What's wrong with laying in dirt?" Toph says, bending up her Earth tent. "It's nice, and cool, and refreshing!"

"Being covered in mud doesn't sound like any fun…or refreshing to me." Mai says, crossing her arms. "Plus, then I'd look like you."

Toph chuckles. "You'll need to elaborate on that one, Gloomy."

Mai's eye twitches. "Gloomy?"

Toph shrugs. "Eh, it's the best I could come up with on a whim. Don't worry, I'll think of something brilliant by morning." Toph stretches and yawns, crawling into her tent. "Goodnight!" She grumbles.

Mai looks over at Zuko and scowls. He simply shrugs.

"Take it as a compliment. If Toph gives you a nickname, it means you're officially part of the group." He says, giving her a tiny smile. I could have sworn Mai gave him a small smile back.

"I'll sleep up there on Appa's saddle with you." Zuko says, petting the bison. Appa sighs and lies down on his tummy. Zuko crawls up the bison onto the saddle, and extends an arm to help Mai up as well.

"Goodnight everyone." He says.

"Goodnight." The rest of us say in unison.

Sokka yawns loudly, rubbing his eyes. He kneels down and crawls over his sleeping bag and slides in.

"Well…goodnight everyone…make sure we wake up bright and…early. Want to be right on…schedule…" He says, his sentence turning into a low mumble towards the end due to his growing drowsiness.

I scoff at him, only to have him open one eye and glare at me.

"Katara? Aang?" He says, closing his open eye.

"What?" I say, already annoyed at what he is going to say next.

"No funny business. I'll know." He grumbles.

Aang laughs. "Don't worry Sokka, I won't be funny. You have an Avatar's promise." He says.

"You know, I'm beginning to think you over use that whole 'Avatar's promise' phrase." Sokka says, air-quoting with his two fingers. "Also, that's not what I meant when I said funny business."

Aang's seemingly innocent smile drops. "Wait, what did you mean…?" He asks, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. I look at him and raise an eyebrow. He gives me a cheeky smile back.

"You know what I meant! No…shenanigans! With my sister!" Sokka says, his voice getting slightly louder.

Suki, who was lying on a blanket next to him, sighs, "Sokka, let's just get some sleep."

"Shenanigans…? But Katara and I are always up to no good." Aang says, flashing a mischievous grin. I roll my eyes, knowing he is doing this just to get Sokka all wound up. Nonetheless, I try to stifle my laughter.

Sokka sits up in his sleeping bag, and crosses his arms. "Up to no good? What are you implying? Is that supposed to be funny?

Aang was about to respond when I interrupted him with a loud laugh.

"I think it's hilarious." I say. Sokka's eyes narrow at me. Suki laughs as well, and, knowing her mistake, quickly covers her mouth. Sokka turns to her, pouting.

"Oh Sokka, leave them be." Suki says, patting his shoulder. "Stop teasing them. They are just friends."

Sokka just scoffs. "Yeah, right." He says, rolling his eyes. "Good friends who kiss."

"How on Earth do you know that? Have you been spying on them?" Suki says, crossing her arms in disappointment, glaring at him menacingly. I cross my arms as well and tap my foot. Aang nervously fiddles with a piece of fabric from his air nomad robe.

"I'm sure you were just imagining it." Suki says, sighing and lying over on her side. "Just go to sleep, Sokka."  
"I didn't imagine anything!" Sokka growls, his voice now somewhat loud. An angry grumble echoes from Toph's Earth tent.

"Shut up and go to bed, Snoozles! Or maybe I need to give you a new nickname?" She yells, slamming her hands down on the ground.

Sokka slinks down in his sleeping bag. I begin to walk away when Sokka speaks up once again.

"I've got my eyes and ears on you two…" He says, pointing his fingers from his eyes to Aang and me. I roll my eyes and wave him off.

"Yeah, yeah whatever Sokka." I say, grabbing Aang's hand and turning away.

"I'm serious!" Sokka yells back, now rolling on to his side.

"I'm sure you are. Goodnight!" I say back, now making our way towards Appa's tail.

Aang chuckles and flops down on it, running his hands through Appa's fur. I giggle and lay down next to him, gazing up at the clear night sky. The stars are extra vibrant tonight, just as I predicted earlier today, filling up every dark patch in the sky. It is absolutely beautiful. I sigh in content.

"Hmm?" Aang mumbles, obvious that he's getting sleepy.

"Nothing. There are so many stars out tonight." I say, my eyes catching a shooting star.

"You should see what it looks like in the air temples. If you think this is beautiful…you won't believe your eyes there." Aang says, putting his hands behind his head. I lay on my side, turning to face him.

"Can we go?" I ask, my eyes wide.

He turns and beams at me. "Of course we can. Name any temple, and I'll take you there." He says.

I ponder for a second, remaining silent for a few moments.

"I want to see the Eastern Air Temple…I've never seen that one." I say, my gaze never leaving his. He smiles back at me and pats Appa's tail.

"That's Appa's home. I'm sure he'd love to give us a ride there." Aang says. I smile and pat Appa as well. Suddenly, Aang's smile drops.

"What's wrong?" I ask, concerned.

He shrugs. "It's nothing." He says, his face still looking solemn. He brings his arms down to his chest. I grab his hand.

"You can tell me." I say. He looks over at me and gives me a tiny smile.

"Well, it's just that…Appa is the last of the sky bison. After him, there's nothing else. Same with Momo. Sometimes, I forget that we really are the last descendants of the Air nomads." Aang says, his voice sad. I move forward and kiss him gently on the cheek.

"You know, Aang. We've been traveling for almost a year. I don't want to get your hopes up or anything by saying this but…you never know. There could be a small herd of bison hiding somewhere, along with lemurs. We've never really set out to search for them. Now that the war is over…who knows? Maybe sometime after Ba Sing Se, we can set out to make finding a herd of sky bison our new priority." I say, my hand going to his cheek. I give him a small smile.

"You really think that's possible?" Aang asks, his fallen face slowly starting to light up again. I grin.

"Of course it is! I know this sounds cheesy but…I can feel it. Even if I end up being wrong and there really are none left…at least we know that the last sky bison, Appa, led the greatest life a sky bison can ever have, only because he had you, Aang. I've never seen an animal happier." I say, giving him a reassuring smile. He smiles back, his eyes watery.

"Thank you, Katara. I guess I just forget that I really am the last of my people…it's still so hard to believe." He says, his voice getting quiet.

"You may be the last airbender right now at this moment…but I know it's definitely not forever." I say.

My eyes go wide and my lips purse in realization of what I just said. Aang blushes, shyly looking back up at the sky. I begin stumbling over my words.

"I, uh…I mean, when you're older and yeah…" I stutter, feeling my cheeks burning up. "But, I mean, you know, whatever." I keep mumbling. _Just shut up Katara. Shut up._

Aang laughs nervously, reaching for my hand. "Thank you Katara…I feel better now." He says, entwining his fingers with mine. I am still slightly embarrassed over the subject that was brought up moments ago. I let out a smile and sigh. We both lay on our backs, hand in hand, looking up at the stars.

We remain quiet for a few moments, when Aang lets out a quiet laugh.

"What's so funny?" I ask, confused. He just squeezes my hand.

"Nothing…this is just…so different. I'm still not used to this idea of us being kinda, well…together. Last time we were camping like this, I was still trying to figure out if you even had any feeling for me." He says.

I sigh. "I wish I didn't make it so hard for you. Please tell me you could tell I felt the same way, right?" I say, giving him a worried look. He just chuckles.

"Do you want me to lie or be honest?" He says. I pout at him.

"I just could never tell…you are so different to read. And you gave a lot of mixed signals." He says. I slightly shift my body, upset with myself.

"Maybe that's why I was so shocked when you asked to kiss me in that cave…and when right before the invasion, you kissed me back instead of running away." He continues, still looking up at the sky.

"You really thought I was going to run away?" I say, ashamed.

He quietly laughs. "A little…but when you didn't I was pretty pleased." He says, a grin breaking across his face. His smile slowly fades as quickly as it came though.

"When I flew back to you guys after I found out the Fire Nation palace was empty, I was terrified. I ran away after kissing you so I didn't have to witness your reaction. So when you didn't bring it up I was so relieved." He says, moving his thumb over mine for a few moments, us sitting in silence. He stops moving his thumb, our hands now just clasped firmly together, unmoving.

"But, the fear went away when that kiss was never even brought up. Until Ember Island, of course…but it doesn't matter anymore, really." He says, finally turning his head towards me. He gives me a tiny smirk, his face very close to mine. He stretches his head even closer and places his lips on my face, just below my jawline. His kiss is short, but they linger there for a few moments, teasing me. I gently pull away, meeting his eyes with my own.

"I'm surprised you didn't notice all the other times I made it obvious I had feelings for you." I say, making his eyebrows go up in that usual adorable way.

"What other times…?" He says, now looking clearly confused. I couldn't help but grin.

"I guess no one can call me the oblivious one anymore…" I say, my voice sounding too pleased.

"I was rather selfish, actually. The thought of you with other girls made me sick and extremely aggravated. And can you even count the number of times I hugged you? Also, were you really too immersed in your firebending practices to not even notice me staring at you practically the entire time? And don't get me started on how many times I've kissed you. You may be surprised actually…" I say, my voice suddenly getting quiet. Aang's eyes go wide. I sigh. I am not exactly ready to share my sly secret with Aang. But, I guess he should know, since it involves him. He is still looking at me, anxiously waiting for an explanation.

"After you…after the ordeal at Ba Sing Se, I was watching over you pretty much all day and night. It was late and I was curious so I…kissed you. Just once, though. I guess I just really missed you." I say, afraid to look up at him and see him reaction. His laughter was loud, and I quickly clapped my hand over his mouth, not wanting Sokka to wake up. Or, even worse, Toph. I scowl at him, trying not to smile. I remove my hand once I am sure he stopped laughing.

"You kissed me? And I wasn't awake? Monkey feathers! That's not fair!" He says.

"It's plenty fair! You were unconscious for weeks! I was somewhat hoping the kiss would magically wake you up!" I say.

"I'm honestly surprised it didn't…" He says, grinning ear to ear. My cheeks were burning up, so I hid my face in his chest, embarrassed.

"I can't believe I told you this…" I mumble into his robe. His fingers touch just below my chin as he lifts my face up to his. He still had that goofy smile plastered onto his face, his eyes twinkling with happiness. His smile slowly fades and his eyes close, his face gravitating towards mine. I feel my breath catch as his lips hoover over mine for a few split seconds, baiting me. I close my eyes and move my face towards his, closing the gap between us with our lips.

I feel him smiling into the kiss, as his hands that were holding mine slip from their grasps and snake around my body, pulling me closer to him. Appa's tail twitched under our movements, and I couldn't help but let out a giggle, which is very short due to Aang's lips still firmly attached to mine. I bring my hands up to his neck, pulling him closer and deeper into the kiss. Our lips part, and he shyly lets his tongue poke around, expertly twisting in a way that no one his age should know how to do. I let him take charge of this kiss, occasionally doing some exploring of my own. I begin to find it hard to breathe, so I slowly pull away, Aang moving his lips from mine only briefly to quickly be placed on my jawline. I leaned my head back slightly, keeping my eyes closed and letting him continue to kiss me. His lips travel everywhere; from my neck, back up to my jaw, right below my ear, then swiftly to my cheek, and occasionally to quickly peck my lips.

After a while, he pulls away, slightly out of breath, he cheeks a bright crimson from both exasperation and what I'm assuming is embarrassment, since he's giving me a sheepish smile. I chuckle and give him a quick little kiss on the cheek.

For the rest of the night we lie together, staring up at the stars, trying to make out certain constellations, giggling and exchanging quick kisses. I begin drifting asleep, my eyes becoming heavier and heavier. It is when I realize that Aang is sound asleep that I decide to let my own sleep overtake me in the end.

I have a dreamless night, and when the sunrise wakes me up the next morning, I come to realize my head wasn't lying on Appa's familiar itchy fur, but on Aang's warm chest, his calm and synchronized breathing lulling me back to sleep.


	12. Eavesdropping

**Yes, I know I've been terrible. It's been a week. Yikes. But I've been so busy. Having three jobs is kind of insane. Also, one of my friends from college came to visit and I've been showing her around and what not! Also, I am depressed Legend of Korra is over. I guess that means it's time to rematch ATLA again... But anyways, here's another chapter! I think it's the longest one yet, so I guess that's good. I went through a major writing block.**

**Enjoy! **

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"Come on Sokka, just for a little while." I plead, my hands clasped together. "It'll be fun!"

"No way. Last time we were there a volcano nearly swept us away. Plus, the people there are insane." Sokka blatantly says.

"A volcano?" Zuko asks, clearly amused at our current argument. "You three seriously got into a lot of trouble in the beginning…"

I roll my eyes. "Yeah. Most of them involving you constantly stalking us and trying to kill us." I say, glaring at him.

"Oh…right…made everything interesting though, right?" Zuko says, giving me a lame smile. I keep a bored expression on my face.

"Oh yeah. Interesting." I mumble, rolling my eyes again. I look back over at Sokka, who was still scowling over my inquisition I made minutes ago. We are traveling at a fast pace, not too far from the Serpent's Pass. We are to soon pass over Aunt Wu's village, and I wanted nothing more than to visit her and hear some fortunes again. I couldn't help but grin at the memory of my obsessive pining for hearing my fortune. Aunt Wu may have been wrong about her predictions when it came to the volcano, but she couldn't have been more accurate about my love life. I sneak a sly glance over at Aang, who was also looking at me. Embarrassed that I caught him staring, he quickly turned away, his cheeks turning a bright red. I grin, and then turn back towards Sokka.

"Sokka, we are ahead of schedule, you have enough meat to last you for at least two days, and I think Appa is getting tired. We are stopping at Aunt Wu's village whether you like it or not. Aang, take Appa down!" I demand, looking over at Aang, and giving him a stern nod. Aang looks from me to Sokka nervously.

"No! There is no way I am going back there! Aang, keep flying." Sokka complains, glaring at Aang, who is now anxiously looking over at me. I narrow my eyes at him, hoping he makes the right choice.

"Don't listen to Sokka, Aang. Come on. Aunt Wu's. Please. For me." I say, batting my eyelashes.

"Hey! No fair!" Sokka grunts, pointing at me. "You're teasing him!" Sokka looks over at Aang and crosses his arms. Aang gives him a sad smile.

"I'm sorry, Sokka…but Katara has you beat. Plus, we really are ahead of schedule…I'm sure a short visit won't hurt." Aang says, guiding Appa a little lower now, towards the silhouette of the familiar volcano a few miles away.

Sokka huffs, leaning back on the saddle. "Yeah, 'won't hurt.' Except by a volcano."

"Oh, for the love of spirits, let it go Sokka. I don't think the volcano will erupt again while we are there." I groan.

"Plus, if it does, there's always me and Katara's cloud bending style." Aang says, bending a puff of air from his hands, manipulating a cloud up ahead.

Sokka rolls his eyes. "We tend to have the worst luck in the world, so I wouldn't be surprised if it blows up as soon as we set foot in that horrible town."

"Hey, meathead. I think it's you that has all the bad luck." Toph snickers, prompting a laugh out of everyone. Toph whips her head towards Zuko and points at him.

"You can't laugh, hothead. You have just as much bad luck as Snoozles over here." Toph continues, now jabbing her finger a little too close for his liking. His smile from the laughter slowly fades into a bored look. Toph just gives him a cheeky smile.

He slaps her finger away from his face.

"Hothead. Good one." Zuko growls.

"Would you rather me call you 'Zuzu?" Toph teases, edging him on. Zuko's eyebrows furrow.

"No. Hothead sounds good. Or hotman. Either will do." He quickly says, embarrassed by hearing the sound of his sister's childhood nickname for him.

"Well, I think this will be fun. I've never gone on a time-wasting journey yet." Suki says, giving Sokka a sweet smile. He groans and keeps his arms crossed. She giggles and leans over him, kissing him gently on the cheek. His frown instantly disappears from his face, replaced with a goofy grin.

"Fine! Just for a little bit. We aren't staying the night!" Sokka says, emphasizing the last part of his sentence. "Also, we did not have time-wasting journeys!"

Suki laughs and waves him off. "Right, whatever you say. I'm pretty sure coming to Kyoshi for the first time was a time waster."

"Nope, Aang just wanted to ride those elephant koi fish." Sokka says, putting his hands behind his head.

"And, boy did I ride them!" Aang excitedly says, lost in thought, probably reminiscing about the memory.

"Don't forget almost getting eaten by the Unagi." Suki says, making Aang's silly smile fade. My face scrunches in memory of me frantically wading in the water trying to get Aang's unconscious body away from the terrifying eel monster. I glance over at Aang, and give him a sympathetic look.

"Hey, if it wasn't for me riding the Unagi, Kyoshi would have burned." Aang says, shrugging his shoulders.

Suki turns and glares at Zuko, who awkwardly turned away, guilty as charged.

"Yeah, I wonder how my village got set on fire in the first place." Suki says through clenched teeth. I couldn't help but giggle, the look of sheer terror on Zuko's face was somewhat entertaining.

"Thank goodness for that Unagi." Zuko simply says, looking down at his hands, which are in his lap. Mai rolls her eyes and gently pats him on the shoulder, trying to comfort him, I'm assuming.

I smile to myself and turn towards Aang, who was sitting on Appa head just in front of me. We were getting closer to the volcano, and I could now make out the little houses that are lined at the base. Appa swoops down and lands directly in the courtyard, groaning loudly in pleasure for getting a few hours to rest after his long grueling day of flying.

"We're here!" Aang happily announces, standing up to tie the reigns of Appa's horns. I look down over the saddle and begin to notice a small crowd of people circling around the bison. They are all mumbling and whispering, glancing from me, to Zuko and of course, Aang.

"It's the Avatar!" Someone yells, and the once quiet whispering turns into loud murmurs, the chatter slowly becoming more audible for me to make out.

"It's that boy with the arrows." Somebody else says, pointing at Aang.

"The Firelord!"

"The little kid who stole Aunt Wu's cloud reading book!"

"The science and reason guy!" I couldn't help by snicker at that, stealing a glance at Sokka, who was distinctively scowling, obvious he heard the voice.

"Well, I thought I'd never see these young faces again!" A familiar voice says, Appa's big furry body obstructing my view. I lean over the saddle only to see Aunt Wu standing by Appa's front feet, her arms on her hips.

"Aunt Wu!" I yell, sliding down Appa's body. "It's good to see you again!"

Aang swiftly moves his arms in a circular motion, airbending himself off Appa. He quietly floats down right beside me, smiling up at Aunt Wu.

"Well, if it isn't the Avatar! Such an honor to be in your presence! I see you've sorted some things out since I last saw you." Aunt Wu says, giving him a warm smile.

"Well, if that means winning the great battle that determined the fate of the whole world, then yes." He simply says. I give him a confused look. She laughs and then looks towards me.

"So, young waterbender, are you here to get more readings?" She says, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at me. I give her an embarrassed smile and nod.

"Well I mean, since we are here…I wouldn't mind." I say, looking down at my shuffling feet.

"Good, good! I see you've brought some friends! Follow me! I'll provide you all with some food and of course, a glimpse into your destinies."

Everyone dismounts Appa, and we follow Aunt Wu towards her home. Her doorman happily opens the sliding doors for us. We walk into the familiar lobby, a bunch of cushions placed delicately on the floor, by wooden dividers.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable. Meng will be out with some appetizers." Aunt Wu says, making her way towards her reading room in the back.

I glance over at Aang, my eyebrows arched. His face is a scarlet red, upon hearing the mention of Meng. He slumps down and sits on a pillow closest to the bamboo divider. I chuckle a little and take a seat next to him.

"This place is fancy." Toph says, plopping down in the middle of the room. She wiggles her toes in front of her.

"You should see the fortune telling room in the back. It's absolutely beautiful." I say, my hands twirling a piece of my hair.

"Eh, I've seen better." Sokka mumbles, scratching his lower back. Suki rolls her eyes.

Quiet footsteps approach, and a young girl, about Toph's size, emerges from the back room with a huge plate of food.

"Bean curd puffs anyon-." Her voice stops abruptly, and I notice her eyes quickly scan over towards Aang. She nervously shifts her eyes from him to me and I give her a weary glance. I am assuming this is Meng. She looks a little different, her hair now flowing over her shoulders, cut short, like Suki's. She walks over towards Sokka and places the plate of appetizers directly in front of him.

"Well, uh…enjoy your f-food. Aunt Wu will be with all of you in a few moments." She nervously says, flashing the familiar toothy smile. She turns around, and swiftly steals another glance at Aang, her cheeks a bright red. I look over towards Aang, who was looking down at his hands, eloquently in his lap. I let out a little giggle at the awkward air in the room, and then place a hand over his. He snaps out of his embarrassment and turns towards me, giving me a little smile. He leans over and kisses me on the cheek.

"Ugh. Can you two at least wait until I finish eating?" Sokka mumbles in between chews. Toph leans over and snatches a hand full of the puffs.

"These are delicious!" She says, throwing one in the air and catching it in her mouth. I look at her in bewilderment; still trying to figure out how she can do that so well, being blind and all. I lean over and grab a few puffs myself.

"So, when is the old lady coming out to read my destiny?" Mai says, glancing at her nails.

Zuko snickers, his arm around Mai's shoulders.

"Like I need a reading. I've heard enough about destiny." He says, rolling his eyes. Mai chuckles and leans her head onto his shoulder.

"Trust me, it'll be fun!" I reassure them, looking hopefully just beyond the dividers.

"She threw a bone into the fire for me…it was pretty cool actually." Aang pipes up, leaning back and putting his arm behind me. "Except she told me stuff I already knew." I give him an inquisitive look.

"You never did tell me what she told you in there." I say. He laughs and then sighs.  
"She pretty much told me I'd be involved in a conflict between the forces of good and evil that would predict the outcome of the world. Good won." He says, putting a puff in his mouth. I roll my eyes and raise my eyebrow.

"That's all she told you?" I say, eagerly wanting to know more.

"Pretty much." He says, his mouth full. I look away in confusion.

"Oh. That's pretty boring." I say, looking down at my hands. I was somewhat hoping she gave him some sort of prediction about his love life. Who he is going to marry…how many children he will have… I quickly shake my head after that thought.

"Since we are talking about this…what did she say to you, Katara?" Zuko asks, an innocent look of question on his face. I feel my cheeks burn up, not wanting to really share my prediction with everyone. I can feel their eyes all on me, waiting for an answer. I turn towards Aang and notice he is looking towards the doorway, not really taking any notice in the situation. Why is he not paying attention? Wouldn't he want to know what my prediction was? Since it did involve him…I scoff at him.

"Oh nothing much really. Just lame stuff. Like my future husband. And how many children I'll have." I say, looking towards everyone for their reaction. Suki and Zuko are looking towards me, interested in what I am saying. Toph is looking the wrong way, but I'm assuming she is listening. Sokka sticks out his tongue in disgust and Mai just looks bored. Aang however, is still looking around, not even remotely interested. I could feel anger build up inside me.

"Yeah. Apparently the man I'm going to marry is going to be a very powerful bender." I say. Everyone else looks toward Aang, who raises an eyebrow. He takes a few more bites of food. I narrow my eyes at him.

"And I am going to have a lot of children. Too many to count." I say, glaring at Aang now. Sokka makes a gagging noise.

"Okay, that's enough information for me!" Sokka says, covering his ears. Suki sighs.

"Oh how sweet! I am actually excited about this, Katara." She says, clapping her hands together.

"Yup. Anytime." I mumble, still glaring at Aang. He looks toward me with a confused look. I angrily huff and turn around, crossing my arms. How could he not even be interested one bit? He looks away slowly, his face contorting in nervousness over my growing temper. We all sit in silence, munching on what's left of the puffs, waiting for Aunt Wu to call us in.

"Alright, who's first?" Aunt Wu finally says, coming from behind the bamboo dividers. I, for once, look down, not interested in talking to anyone, let alone Aunt Wu, right now. After a few awkward seconds, Aang stands up.

"I guess I'll go." He quietly says, following Aunt Wu behind the divider.

"I thought no one would ever leave. I don't want to be the first one going in there." Zuko says, lying down on his back. Mai pulls out one of her daggers and begins twirling it in boredom. Toph unhinges her meteor bracelet from her arm and begins bending and molding it into shapes. Suki lies on her stomach, opening and closing one of her fans, while Sokka sits beside her, examining his new boomerang. I groan in impatience.

I wonder what Aunt Wu was telling Aang in there. I anxiously shift my eyes, my legs getting jittery with anticipation. Next thing I know, I am on my feet.

"Where are you going?" Sokka asks, looking up at me.

"I…uh…the bathroom?" I poorly say, hoping he buys it. He just shrugs and waves me off. I sigh in relief and tip toe behind the floral dividers and make my way towards the door to Aunt Wu's reading room. I quietly open the door a crack so I can hear what they are talking about. I strain my eyes and listen.

"So, young airbender. You are back here again. What is it that you are interested in foreseeing? As last time, you weren't too happy." Aunt Wu says, a chuckle to her voice. Aang gives her a light laugh.

"I am hoping you could tell me a little more about love this time." He asks. I feel my stomach tighten. A little more about love? Did she say anything about love to him last time? And if so, why on earth would he not tell me anything? I pout a little, straining my ear even more.

"Ah, of course. Always about love when it comes to those your age. Okay, then. Let me see your hands." She says. I hear her reach for what sounds like a bag.

"I am going to put this stone in your hand. It's a special stone, and when crunched together by your grip it will crumble apart, leaving its residue on your palm. I then will read the broken pieces, and tell you your future." She continues.

"Sounds good to me!" Aang says, cheerful as always. I wait a little, assuming he broke the stone in his hand by now.

"Oh, this is interesting…" Aunt Wu begins to say. I press my ear even closer on the door.

"What are you doing out here?" A voice says, making me jump about ten feet high. I quickly whip my head around, and I see Meng, standing behind me, her hands across her chest.


	13. Come Clean

**Sorry about these last two chapters, I realized they are a little bit of fillers. But, I'm just trying to drag this story out. It is a summer thing of mine, helping out with my Avatar hangover... Plus it's giving me some practice before I dive into writing my book. I'm having major writing blocks with it. Constructive criticism is always appreciated! And I love that you all are enjoying this story, I really didn't expect a reaction like this! Not sure when the next chapter is going up, I know I want to have something with the Serpent's Pass and a little bending excitement. Suggestions would be awesome, and I'll give a shout out to whoever suggested an idea for me! **

**But nonetheless, enjoy! :)**

**And I love all the reviews. They put a smile on my face! **

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"I…uhm. I was looking for the…restroom?" I say, my cheeks hot red in embarrassment.

"Hmph! That isn't the first time I've heard that one!" Meng grumps, her arms still angrily crossed at me. "Why are you really back here?"

I look down at my feet and sigh. "I guess I let curiosity get the best of me…I was eavesdropping."

"I figured. A lot of people are always nervous about what Aunt Wu will say to those they care about. What could you possibly be worried about?" She says, dropping her arms.

I just shrug my shoulders. "I guess I was just really interested in what his prediction will be." I say, nodding my head towards Aunt Wu's room.

"Aang's in there, isn't he?" She says, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yeah…he is." I quietly say, still looking down.

"Why are you worried about his prediction? I'm sure it'll be fine. Especially for you. I don't think he'd let some fortuneteller lady pull you both apart, whether Aunt Wu's prediction is right or wrong." She says, now leaning on the bamboo divider. I look up towards her.

"I don't know...maybe I am a little worried…" I say, putting my hands on my hips.

"What could you be worried about? You are perfect. And I can tell he really likes you. I could even tell when you guys were first here. He's completely head over heels for you. No one could ever change his mind." She says, her face falling. I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I know how you feel about Aang…and I know it's tough. But you'll find a guy who's perfect for you. And he'll be crazy for you." I say, giving her a small smile. Meng grins back and wipes a tear from her cheek.

"You really think so?" She asks, her voice hopeful.

"I know so." I say, nodding my head. She looks down in confusion.

"It's just weird. Aunt Wu predicted I'd marry a man with big ears. And I guess he was the first guy I saw with big ears. I always just assumed in the end it would be him. I guess Aunt Wu was wrong." She says.

I let out a small laugh and cross my arms over my chest. "Well, whoever you end up marrying, as long as you are happy, it doesn't matter if his ears are big or small."

She smiles up at me and stands up straight. "Thank you, Katara."

I giggle. "Aang really does have big ears though, does he?" She laughs along with me, punching me a little too hard for my likes on my shoulder.

"He really does!" She says, her voice still ringing with laughter. "I'm glad I got to talk with you Katara. I was wrong about you. You aren't a floozy." She continues, turning away. "But, you really aren't allowed back here, so I'm going to have to ask you to go back into the waiting room."

_A floozy? _I shake off her little snarky remark at me and give her a happy smile. "Of course, Meng. Sorry about everything." I say, sidling my way around her and back towards the cushions where everyone was still sitting.

"Aunt Wu will be with you in a little while, so be patient!" I hear Meng say behind me. I couldn't help but roll my eyes in annoyance.

"Sheesh, take any longer in the bathroom, Katara?" Sokka snickers, giving me a stupid look. I ignore him and take my seat on my cushion. I begin to play with my hair loopies, bored out of my mind.

Aang and Aunt Wu come out from behind the dividers, a goofy grin plastered on his face. He turns toward Aunt Wu and respectfully bows.

"Thank you for your wisdom Aunt Wu." He says. Aunt Wu grins and waves him off.

"Of course, Avatar." She politely says. She turns toward the rest of us. Before she has the chance to ask for someone to see her next, Toph springs up.

"I'll go!" She says, walking towards Aunt Wu. Aunt Wu shrugs her shoulders and has Toph follow her into the back room. Aang flops down next to me, our shoulders touching. I turn to face him, wondering about the sudden proximity. He smiles at me and grabs my hand, then, leans over and gives me a small but lingering kiss on the cheek.

"What are you so happy about?" I ask, angry that I could know myself if Meng didn't catch me eavesdropping. He contently sighs.

"Mmm, nothing…I just really liked my fortune."

"Oh, did you now? Well, good. I'm glad." I mumble. He moves his face even closer.

"Do you…want to know what Aunt Wu told me?" He whispers into my ear, his lips brushing them slightly. I ignore the intimacy of this moment and shrug.

"Eh, maybe later." I say, trying not to giggle, since his breath was tickling me. He pulls away, an innocent and confused look on his face.

"Oh. Okay then." He says, his eyes looking down at our hands nervously. Sokka groans next to me.

"Ugh, get a room!"

"Oh, shut up Sokka." I growl, not really in the mood to hear him complain about Aang and me.

Toph walks back in with a bored look on her face. Suki sits up and walks behind the dividers, now her turn to see Aunt Wu.

I begin anxiously biting the inside of my cheek. Okay, so I lied. I really want to know what Aunt Wu told Aang. I bring my other hand up to my mouth and begin to bite my nails as well.

"You…alright?" Aang wearily says, obviously aware of my growing anxiety.

I sigh and shake my hand out of Aang's. I swiftly get up, standing over Aang.

"Can I talk to you outside for a few moments?" I ask, crossing my arms. He looks up at me, confused. He nods and then airbends himself up, following me towards the door.

"Hey! Where are you two going?" Sokka questions. He looks up at us and glares.

"Out. For a walk." I mumble, reaching for the circular sliding door.

"This was your idea Katara! Come back he-."

I slam the door shut, silencing Sokka's annoying voice. I grab Aang's hand and stomp over to the side of the building. I lean on the wall, crossing my arms. The sun was low in the sky, colors of orange and pink slinking below Mt. Makapu.

"So…what's on your mind?" Aang asks, looking at me with a worried expression.

"Nothing…I'm just curious…" I begin, looking down at my crossed arms. "What did Aunt Wu tell you back there?"

Aang gives me a seemingly happy sigh and walks toward me, pulling my arms out of their crossed positions. He grabs both of my hands, his face not too far from mine.

"Well, last time, Aunt Wu told me my destiny of being the Avatar; something I obviously already knew. I was upset that she said nothing about…well…love. She then proceeded to tell me to 'trust my heart and you will be with the one you love.' I know she made it up just to make me happy, but I realized that it was somewhat true. So, when I saw her today and asked if she could see any love in my future, she actually said no." Aang says, not releasing his gaze on me. I feel my face fall.

"No? What does that mean?" I say, my voice quiet.

"That's what I said. But she ignored me and then asked if I remembered what she told me about love last time I was here. I said yes, and she laughed. I was pretty confused to be honest." He continues, his face very close to mine now.

"She said to me, 'I see you trusted your heart. I'm assuming you sorted things out with the young waterbender.' I said, yeah, I finally told her how I felt. And that you felt the same way."

I give him a small smile, now snaking my arms around his neck.

"So, when she told me that she couldn't see any love in my future, I was very puzzled. She then told me that she doesn't see any love in my future because I found the only source of love already. You." He says, moving closer to kiss me on the cheek. I chuckle at the gesture and lean back to get a better look at him. I feel my cheeks burn in embarrassment about what I'm going to tell him.

"I have a confession to make…when you went back with Aunt Wu, I kind of followed you and tried to eavesdrop." I say, my eyes darting across his face. Aang raises his eyebrows in amusement.

"I was curious and nervous…but I didn't hear what Aunt Wu had to say because Meng sort of caught me listening in. It was very awkward. And I think she called me a 'floozy.'" I say.

To my surprise, Aang begins laughing, and bends over, clutching his stomach from his growing hysterics.

"What's so funny?" I say, raising my voice over his laughter, which is slowly turning to small chuckles. He puts his arms around my waist and pulls me close, or noses touching.

"I have a confession to make myself. When we were first here, I sort of eavesdropped on your conversation with Aunt Wu. I jumped around the hallway when she mentioned you marrying a powerful bender." Aang says, giving me a guilty smile.

I let out a laugh, and pull him closer, our lips meeting just briefly. I break away from him, still chuckling.

"So, that's why you were paying absolutely no attention to me when I was telling everyone about my fortune in there earlier." I say.

"Well, I was paying very close attention actually. A lot of children? That's uh…well…" Aang says, blushing. I chuckle and kiss him again on the cheek.

"That isn't very specific." Aang continues. I pull away and give him a questioning look.

"Why? Did Aunt Wu say something to you about the…subject?" I ask, my heart fluttering a little too much for my liking. This conversation was getting a little too awkward for me. We are still kids, after all. Plus, I wasn't even sure Aang and I would be together for that long.

"Well… I sort of asked her. She said I'd have three children…but that's all I wanted to know." Aang says, sticking out his tongue. "It's a little too much info for me now."

I give him a nervous laugh. "Yeah, no kidding. But, three? Hmm…" I ponder, keeping my eyes fixed on his arrow. I wonder if they'll be airbenders? Oh, I hope so. The thought of a bunch of small Aang-like monks swirling around on air scooters made my heart swell. All of them possessing his same laugh and goofy smile, all three of them having either twinkling grey eyes like his or azure blue ones, like mine…

Aang clears his throat, brining me back from my daydream. I blush when I realize where my train of thought went. I look up into his soothing eyes and lean forward to kiss him again, this time lasting a lot longer than before. Our lips move together sweetly, and after a while, we pull away.

"We should be getting back…I'm sure they'll be wondering exactly where we disappeared off to." I say, grabbing Aang's hand and leading us back towards Aunt Wu's. The sun has long ago sunk under the mountains, the sky dark. It was getting late, and we still had a bit more ground to cover before the day ended.

We walk back inside, hand in hand, our faces still flushed from minutes ago. I sit down in my original spot, combing out my messy hair with my fingers.

"Nice of you two to join us." Zuko says, snapping his fingers to create little puffs of fire in boredom.

"Mai is inside…then it's your turn Katara, and we can finally leave." Sokka mumbles, pulling a loose string out of his shirt.

"You're just mad that Aunt Wu told you the same thing she said to you last time." Toph snickers.

I chuckle a little. "So, your life is still going to be full of anguish and struggle? Even after the war ended?" I say. Sokka just scowls at me.

"I'll say it again. My life will be just fantastic. It'll be so joyful, you won't even know what happened!" Sokka growls. Suki rolls her eyes and rests a hand on his shoulder.

Mai walks in, Aunt Wu following her. Aunt Wu turns to me and nods her head.

"Come young waterbender. Time for your reading."

I shake my head, putting my arms up in refusal. "No thank you, Aunt Wu. What you told me last time I was here is enough for me. Thank you so much for your hospitality, but we all really should be heading out." I say. I hear Sokka squeak in anger behind me. Aunt Wu gives me a small smile and bows.

"Always my pleasure. Please, take some fruits for your journey." Aunt Wu says, pointing towards Meng, who was carrying a fruit basket. "Have a safe trip young Avatar, and best of luck to all of you." And with that, she disappears behind the dividers, back towards her room.

Meng walks over and hands Aang the fruit basket.

"It was very nice seeing you again Aang…I hope I'll see you again." She says, her cheeks turning red. I roll my eyes and stick out my tongue.

"Oh, uh…yeah. You too." Aang stutters, still gripping my hand tightly.

We all make our way out of Aunt Wu's house and walk down the cobblestone pathway towards Appa, Momo sleeping on one of his horns.

Aang airbends me onto Appa's head, himself quickly following behind, while everyone else climbs into the saddle.

"I can't believe you made us come down here to visit Aunt Wu, only to be the only one who didn't have a fortune read, Katara." Sokka mumbles, reaching for the fruit basket.

I lean my head onto Aang's shoulder and sigh. "I guess I realized I didn't need to rely on fortunes anymore. I'm perfectly content with the way things are turning out."

Aang looks down and smiles at me, grabbing onto Appa's reins.

"Ugh, whatever. No more side trips!" Sokka growls, take a bite out of a piece of mango.

"Appa, yip yip!" Aang says, and we quickly soar into the sky. Aang reaches for my hand and laces his fingers with mine. I smile as the cool wind hits my face, closing my eyes in contentment, letting sleep swiftly over come me.


	14. Set Fire to the Rain

**This is by far my favorite chapter yet. It was really easy to get the writing to flow. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. But, I probably won't have another chapter up until next week. This weekend is going to be nuts for me. But, it will give me more time to think of more ideas. So, enjoy the cliffhanger. :)**

**I am considering making another story, but in Aang's POV. I can't write in 2nd or 3rd person. It's terrible.**

**Sorry if I haven't included much of the other characters. It is in Katara's POV, so I don't think she would be truly interested in what's going on with Zuko and Mai's relationship and what not.**

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The small crescent moon shines brightly over me, illuminating my dark skin in my favorite way. The water I was streaming was sparkling in the moonlight, mesmerizing me to a point that I was bending my water subconsciously. We are on the Serpents Pass, wedged in a small clearing with a direct path to the water. I stop bending, letting the water drop back into the ocean, my hands then falling into my lap. I had a tough time falling asleep earlier, so I ended up down here to do some waterbending to relax me. I hang my feet over the small ledge and dip my toes in the water. It is freezing cold, but I ignore it and lay down on my back, looking up at the sky.

It is covered in a blanket of greyish-black storm clouds, strong winds both strangely warm and cold whipping around me. Soon enough, I feel the first drop of rain hit my cheek, then a bunch more quickly following. Thankfully I left my water tribe robes back up at camp, so only my under wrappings are going to get drenched. I close my eyes and sigh, letting the ice-cold droplets pelt me. I reach my hand up and feel the grooves of the pendant on my mother's necklace.

I know I wasn't feeling right. Aang noticed it right away, and decided to initially give me space. He knows that the Serpents Pass and this entire region in general isn't a good memory for me. The last time we were here, Aang was unconscious, and basically on the verge of near death, due to the ordeal at Ba Sing Se. Not to mention when he finally woke up, he flew off his glider right into a storm similar to this one, which broke me. It seems that maybe abandoning hope on this wretched strip of land was actually not a bad idea.

Either you lose hope by your own will or, if you don't do that, it'll be taken nonetheless by unfortunate events.

I feel my eyes well up. I guess I could say the only time I truly lost hope throughout our entire journey was when we were here…I sigh up at the sky and begin bending the occasional droplet of rain to try and soothe my weary thoughts.

My hair is completely soaked, and I am shivering down to the bone. A bright flash of light illuminates the sky, thunder quickly following after. I squint my eyes, the rain falling even harder now, hitting me like piercing daggers. After a while, the droplets begin hurting me, and I quickly realize that it actually started to hail. But, for some reason, I stay put, letting the little ice spheres pelt me.

"Katara! What in the world are you doing out here?" I hear Aang yell, his voice muffled by the boom of thunder. I stay quiet, ignoring him. He sighs loud enough for me to hear him over the sounds of the storm, and bends the Earth around me, creating a canopy to block the rain and hail from hitting me any longer. He crawls under the earthbended cover and wraps his arms around me tightly.

"Wha-? You're freezing! Katara, why were you sitting out in this crazy storm? Are you insane?" He says, rubbing my arms with his hands, trying to transfer his heat to me. He takes a deep breath and then exhales, a small puff of fire emitting from his mouth. The sudden heat sends shivers down my spine, and I melt into him.

"I c-couldn't s-sleep." I muster out, my voice shaking furiously. Lightning strikes the water not too far away from us, making me flinch in awe. The thunder quickly follows, the sound echoing across the sky. I look up at Aang, his face clenched in fear. I know he hates storms. I wrap my arms around his waist, trying to soothe him. He senses me doing so and shakes his head.

"Katara, please. I'm fine." He whispers, his face buried in my dripping wet hair. He realizes this and releases me for a few seconds, only to bend the water out of my hair. It poofs up, and I couldn't help but giggle.

Next thing I know, his hands are in my hair, his fingers combing through my knots. I close my eyes in pleasure and we sit like that for a while, his hands being the only sensation I am focusing on. He weaves his fingers deeper into my hair, pulling out certain strands. It takes me a while to realize he was braiding my hair, and I sigh in contentment. He finally finishes, after messing up a few times, and uses a loose string he plucked from his garment to tie the messy braid. He then wraps his arms around me and brings his face over my shoulder, kissing me sweetly on the cheek.

"Better?" He asks, his lips moving against my temple. I simply nod, no words able to come from me at the moment. He exhales another puff of fire, warming my body so I am no longer shivering. He bends a slab of earth up behind us, so we can lean back and look out of our makeshift cave. The rain is still coming down hard, everything dark, with the occasional burst of lightning. I feel Aang shiver in my arms. I look at him apologetically.

"I know how much you hate storms…we can go back up to camp if you'd like…I'm feeling better now." I say, nuzzling my head into his chest. He deeply sighs.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I know that you love storms. So I'll sit down here and watch it with you. But only with this shelter!" He sweetly says, kissing the side of my head. I sit up straight and lean on the bended earth behind us, our shoulders touching. I lace my hand with his and lean my head on his shoulder.

"Thank you Aang." I sigh, closing my eyes. We sit like that in silence, the only sound coming from the rain pounding on our little canopy.

"Katara?" Aang mumbles, sounding as if he were half asleep.

"Yes, Aang?" I say, squeezing his hand.

"I'm sorry. That you went through all of that." He whispers.

"Went through all of what?" I ask, slightly taken aback by his question.

"You know, the whole 'abandon hope' episode I had. I know being here reminds you of it. When I was at my most vulnerable. Because of what happened to Appa." He says, sighing sadly. I lean over and kiss him quickly and lightly on the lips.

"Don't apologize. You were going through a terrible time. I know losing Appa was traumatizing and frustrating for you." I mumble. He just shrugs.

"It still doesn't excuse my actions, which I know were horrible towards you." He says, his voice cracking.

I grab the sides of his face with my hands, turning him to face me fully.

"It's in the past. And to be honest, I wasn't upset about any of that at all. I was just thinking about the last time we were here…you know, after Azula…" I say, my voice fading.

"Oh. Why are you upset about that?" He asks, his eyes carefully on me. "Everything turned out okay, right? I woke up when we were passing here. That's good, right?"

I sigh and look down to the side. "Yeah, but…I don't know. It wasn't a good time for me. I was really an emotional wreck."

"I'm…so sorry. For putting you through that." He apologizes, which instantly angers me.

"Spirits, Aang! Stop apologizing!" I yell, shaking his shoulders. That's all you ever say to me. 'Sorry!' There's nothing to even be sorry for! It's…my fault. I almost used the spirit water on Zuko…if I did…you wouldn't be here right now. And I would have never been the same." I say, my once loud and angry voice turning into just a mere whisper. "You were passed out Aang. Unconscious. Practically dead in my arms. And you are apologizing to me for that?"

Aang's eyes are wide with shock, his hands slowly reaching up to tuck a stray hair into the braid he weaved for me. My eyes travel down his face, stopping at his lips. I feel my eyes droop a little, already preparing for what I was about to do next.

"Katara, I-."

I pull his face towards mine, his lips forcefully smashing onto mine. I push him forward, both of us falling onto the damp floor underneath us. I lay on top of him, his arms nervously wrapping around my waist, holding me in place. Our lips moved fast and anxiously at first, then slowed down to keep a rhythmic pace that made my head throb. Everything was muted, except the pleased sounds coming from Aang, the thud of the heavy raindrops above us, and the pounding of my heart that I was sure Aang could hear too.

I feel myself blush in realization that this is the most intimate we've ever been with one another, our tongues dancing around each other and Aang's hand very low on my back. I have no desire to stop, and I bring my hands from his cheek to the ground beside his head, holding me up. I release our lips for a few seconds to catch my breath, and then I quickly dive down for more, Aang happily complying.

He takes his lips off mine, making me pout, but only for a few seconds, as he quickly places them on my neck. I close my eyes and sigh, letting him kiss me. He lifts our bodies up and, without moving his lips from my jawline, leans me onto the small earth pillar he made not too long ago.

His lips finally find mine again, and I grip his collar, deepening our kiss. He runs his hands through my hair, the braid he fabricated for me messily coming apart. Thunder roars behind us, but I take no notice, my mind too preoccupied with the situation at hand.

A scream pulls us out of our trance, Aang snapping his head away from mine. His face was deep red.

"Did you…hear that?" Aang huffs, extremely out of breath. My breathing was shallow too, and I stretch my neck out of our cave to see if I hear anything else.

Another yell pierces my ears and Aang quickly bends everything down, the rain now hitting our skin forcefully.

"Katara!" Aang yells, grabbing me by the waist, airbending us out of the way. I turn around and looming over us was none other than the Serpent itself.

"Come on, let's quickly get to the others!" Aang says, grabbing my hand as he forms an air scooter underneath us both. Despite being in a life-threatening situation, this would normally be a whole lot of fun. We quickly reach our camp, an earth canopy, one Toph must have made when it started pouring, crumbled to bits. Sokka and Suki are huddle by Appa, taking refuge from the rain by hiding under his tail.

"Sokka! What happened?" I yell. He is clutching onto Suki for dear life.

"The Serpent! It came out of nowhere and attacked! I don't know where Toph went, and Zuko and Mai ran a little ways down the pass." Sokka yells, the thunder clapping making it hard for me to hear him.

"What do you mean you don't know where Toph went?" I yell, scanning my eyes around our camp.

"After the Serpent knocked down our little Earth tent she made, she disappeared!" Sokka continues to yell. Suki comes out from under Appa's tail and peers over the ledge.

"I knew it! There!" She screamed, pointing down.

Aang quickly grabs his staff and jumps over the cliff.

"Aang, wait! I scream after him, running to peer over the ledge. Toph was on the rock formation not to far below us, unconscious. Aang swoops down to where she was lying and lifts her up. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see the ridges of the Serpent in the water, making its way towards them.

"Oh no you don't…" I murmur to myself, and soon enough, I jump off the cliff as well, diving straight into the turbulent water below me. I quickly waterbend a globe to help cushion my fall, and when the time is just right, I bound into the globe and shoot myself into the air. I freeze the water beneath my feet and ice surf my way over towards where the Serpent was.

I feel heat radiate above me, and I look back to see Zuko shooting huge balls of fire into the water next to me.

"I got your back!" He yells, continuing to firebend at the Serpent. Angry, it rises out of the water, preparing to spray water over at Zuko. To its surprise, it suddenly gets pelted in the side with numerous daggers, causing it to growl in pain. I look and see Mai, reaching for more of her knives. I feel a sly smile grow onto my face and I shoot the water behind me, making my way quickly over to the Serpent. I begin firing large icicles, hitting it aggressively on its sides. It turns towards me, and lunges, only to be stopped swiftly by a boulder crashing into its head. Aang flies over me and blasts the Serpent with a gale-like force of wind, knocking it into the cliff. I look up at Aang and smile, happy that we once again bested the stupid sea monster.

Instead of smiling back, he looks at me with sheer terror. He turns his air glider sharply and makes his way down towards me as fast as a bullet.

"Katara! Look ou-!"

I don't hear the rest of his sentence. I feel a sharp blow to the entire left side of my body, sending me flying through the air. The Serpent must have hit me with its tail. The icy wind and hard rain forcefully hits my skin for the few seconds I am airborne. I come into contact with the freezing cold water below, sending a painful and prickly like feeling down my entire body. Next thing I know, everything is dark.


	15. Shared Beds and Overprotective Brothers

Pain. It is all I can feel.

I crack my eyes open, only to see the soft flicker of the candlelight beside me. I am in some sort of...cave? But where? And how in the world did I get here? I hate this feeling of confusion. What exactly happened to get me in this state of...discomfort?

Beside the small flickering candle is of course, him, sitting in his usual meditating trance. His eyes are shut tight, his eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. I smile at the sight; he's always so peaceful and calm...even when things like this happen. I want nothing more than to wrap my arms around him.

I try to lift by body up from my makeshift bed. But instead, a strange sound of pain comes from the back of my throat, making Aang's eyes snap open.

In less than a second, he is by my side, gently pushing me back down onto my bed. His hands are soothingly warm against my bare skin, making goose bumps jump across my body. My instincts wanted nothing more than for me to ignore his silent pleadings for me to rest, and they do just that.

I reach up and grab his face in my shaking hands, bringing him towards me. He tenses up and brings his own hands to mine upon his face and gently grabs them, bringing them down. Initially, I am upset at this gesture, but my annoyed feelings don't last long. He places his lips softly on mine, moving them slowly, too slow for my liking at the moment.

"Go back to sleep, Katara." He whispers, his lips moving against mine as he speaks.

"I've had enough sleep." I say back, closing his mouth with my own, begging for more. He chuckles and to my despair, pulls away. I begin to pout at that, but my lips turn into a small smile when he catches my cheek in a swift peck of his lips.

"You still need to heal." He mumbles, gently brushing his fingers across my left shoulder. His fingertips travel down my side, except I stop feeling the sensation of his touch when I realize he was tracing over a rather large bandage across my waist.

"Okay, fill me in." I mutter, squinting my eyes in pain. He sighs and leans back, his fingers nervously fiddling in his lap.

"Well...the Serpent sort of, smacked you…into an unconscious state. The left side of your body is pretty banged up. And you suffered some mild form of hypothermia from being flung into the freezing cold water." He says, his eyes still looking down. "After the Serpent struck you, I sort of called upon the Avatar state and well... You know the rest."

To his surprise, I start laughing. "Well, I'm flattered!" I say, my voice ringing with giggles. My expression swiftly changes. "Where is Sokka? And everyone else? And Toph! Is she okay?" My voice rises in urgency. He gives me a small smile.

"Yes, they are all fine. They are just outside, talking about what we are going to do once we get to Ba Sing Se. Toph is a little bruised, but you know her. Strong as a saber tooth moose-lion. Speaking of Ba Sing Se, we are only a few hours away. We are near the edge of the pass now."

"Wow. Exactly how long have I been out?" I ask, my eyelids drooping slowly in sleepiness. Aang notices this and chuckles, leaning down to give me a kiss on my forehead.

"I'd say you've been out for a few hours. After I, well, 'frightened' the Serpent away, we took flight on Appa a little ways down the pass, looking for a cave like this one here. The storm outside is still pretty bad, but a lot better than before." He says, grabbing for my hand.

A cold draft sends chills down my spine, and I shiver. Aang looks at me with raised eyebrows and chuckles. He reaches for the blanket that was thrown off me a few moments ago and covers us both. He wraps his arms around me, not too tight to put pressure on my left side, but enough to make me feel secure. I sigh and lean my head on his upper chest. We lie like that for a little bit, the sound of his low and deep breathing putting me to sleep. That is, until someone interrupts.

"Alright, I think it's time to - oh! Aang! What in the monkey feathers do you think you're doing?" Sokka yelps, his high-pitched voice echoing in our once peaceful little cave. Instead of jumping out from under the covers with me like I expected he would, Aang just slowly sits up, his expression bored.

"Warming up Katara. She was cold." He innocently says. Sokka's face scrunches up in frustration, obviously flustered by the scenario.

"So what-I mean, that's nice and all, and you're very sweet, but...but!" I keep my eyes closed, trying my best not to yell out at my brother.

"Shh! Sokka! She's sleeping." Aang whispers, lightly touching my cheek with his hands. Sokka lowers his voice to incoherent mutters, which I can hardly make out.

"In the same bed with my...Who does he think he is? Stupid Avatar...stupid sister, stupid love." Sokka stutters to himself. I try my best to hold in my laughter at my brother's ridiculousness.

"So... What were you originally coming in here to say?" Aang asks, with a hint of impatience, obvious that he liked the moment he and I were sharing.

"Um...oh! We are thinking we should head on out. Katara obviously looks like she is in good hands...or arms..." Sokka says, his voice changing into a low mumble at the end.

"And?" Aang says. I can imagine him rolling his eyes at Sokka.

"Toph is getting fidgety from doing nothing for so long, and Zuko and Mai are getting a little too cozy for my likings, and Suki is getting handsy, which that I don't mind actually…" Sokka trails off. I shudder in the concept of anyone getting hansdy with my brother.

"Anyways, I'm thinking its time we all, literally and not so literally, get some rooms." Sokka blurts out. I crack open one eye and stare at him. He bends down and smiles at me.

"And how are you doing?" He asks, his eyebrows smugly going up. I wave him away.

"I was doing fantastic until you got here." I growl. Aang lets out a feathery laugh.

Sokka sticks out his tongue. "I don't want to know what was going on before I got here."

I coyly raise my eyebrows. "Would you like to find out?" I say, looking up at Aang seductively. He beams down at me and I reach a hand out, bringing his face towards mine, slowly.

"Oh, stop it! Just...eh, oh! Just hurry up and pack your things! We're leaving in five minutes!" Sokka yells, slapping his hands over his eyes and storming out of our little cave. I chuckle at my accomplishment in scaring my brother away, and begin pulling my head away from Aang's.

"Mission accomplish-." I start to say, only to be silenced by my surprise when Aang grabs my face and brings it back up towards him. His lips meet mine quickly, but linger there for a few moments.

"Now, it's mission accomplished." He mumbles onto my lips. I shiver at Aang brashness. He laughs and shimmies out of our blanket. He walks over to where he was meditating a few minutes ago and blows out the small candle. I attempt to stand up, my face contorting in pain. Aang swiftly airbends himself to my side and helps me up to my feet.

"No, no Aang. I'm fine..." I mutter, my face getting hot from straining to stand on my own. He ignores me and braces my arm, until I am fully upright. I let out an accomplished sigh, and slowly begin to walk around the cave, trying my best not to look as if I was in any sort of pain. Aang stands in his original spot, eying me carefully.

"I'm fine, really. Let's finish packing before Zuko and Mai really scare off Sokka. Or before Toph hits him with a boulder." I say, snickering at the though. Aang laughs along with me, and bends down to fold our blankets.

After a few minutes, everything is packed away, and I am leaning heavily on the cave wall. Aang comes over towards me and offers his arm for me to grab onto, to sturdy myself as we make our way out of the cave. I wave him off, wanting to do this on my own. After a few steps, I put my hand on the wall once more, out of breath. The sound of all our supplies dropping surprises me, and next thing I know, my feet are lifted up off the ground.

"Aang! Put me down! I can do it myself!" I yelp, tight in his cradling grip.

"Yeah, and by time we get to Appa, it will be next morning." He says, laughing at me. I pout and look away from him, and allow my own stubbornness to do everything myself give up for once. In just mere seconds, I am resting gently on the top of Appa's head, nestled the warm fur. Aang gives me a goofy smile and bounds off, back towards our cave to retrieve our supplies he threw down. I roll my eyes and run my fingers through Appa's little hairs.

"How are you doing Katara?" Suki asks me, leaning over Appa's saddle above me.

"I'm fine. It hurts, but only a little." I lie.

"Well, that's good news! You certainly took a rather big hit. Aang went a little crazy." She says, now looking towards the grinning airbender waltzing out of the cave. "And now he's as happy as can be. What a kid."

I smile at her observation. "That what makes him so great. Sometimes you can forget he is the most powerful bender in the world. And just a goofy, happy monk." I say. Aang airbends himself up next to me, and tugs on Appa's reins.

"Next stop, Ba Sing Se!" He yells out.

I hear Toph groan behind me. "Finally! A bed to sleep in!"

"Yeah, and privacy. For everyone." Sokka mumbles. "How many rooms for all of us, Zuko?"

"Well...there's four. One for my Uncle. One for Mai and me."

"Thank heavens." Sokka interrupts. I can almost feel the heat radiating off Zuko.

"...One for you, Suki and Toph..." Zuko says, his voice cracking with nervousness. I feel Aang chuckle under his breath at the awkwardness over Zuko's next sentence.

"And one for Katara and Aang." He finishes.

"Appa, yip-yip." Aang quietly says, Appa lifting himself up into the dark sky, the clouds still lingering from the storm.

"One for...What!" Sokka screeches bounding over towards Aang and I. "There is no way! No way, I am letting that happen between you two and-." He yells, and I turn around only to see Toph grabbing onto his collar.

"Hush up, Snoozles! I've heard enough of your whining all night!" She says, pulling him back behind her. "I'm taking a nap, and if I hear one-"

"But!"

"One! More peep out of you, you'll pay for it later!" She finishes, angrily looking into the distance, her blank eyes hidden by her messy hair.

The air around us is awkwardly silent, until Aang breaks it.

"So, is it okay with you Sokka? Katara and I sharing a room?"

I look at Aang, pleading that he shuts his air hole.

"Aang, what are you doing?" I whisper through clenched teeth. I look behind me at Sokka, whose face has turned to a deep scarlet.

"How many beds per room, Zuko?" Aang asks, and I see Zuko's expression turn white.

"Uh...one for me and Mai's room... Three for Sokka, Suki and Toph's and..."

I hold my breath.

"One for yours."

"Oh. Okay." Aang says, a scheming smile spreading on his face.

The next thing I hear is the sound of Sokka screaming obscenities at Zuko and especially Aang, to whom he runs towards, his boomerang aggressively drawn.

* * *

**Sorry that I suck at updating lately. I'm having kind of a hard time to plow through this story. But, I will try to get a pretty good story out of me. This is a little bit of a lame chapter sorry. I tried to put some more interactions with other characters, and not so much Aang and Katara lovey-doveyness. But, come on, who doesn't love that? :)**

**Will try to get another chapter in by at least Sunday. Also, check out my other story, The Infamous Fall. Taking requests to write POV shots of other scenes in the ATLA series. Also up for any LOK requests :) I heavily ship Korra and General Iroh, just saying. ;)**


	16. Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon

**Congrats, one of my longest chapters yet. Also one of the most difficult. Seriously, I was going through major writer's blockage. This story is getting freaking difficult. And I already know where I'm skewing to have this story lead to.**

**But enough about me. You want to know the real reason why it took me so long to get this stinkin' chapter out? Well. I was deeply immersed in the story called "Parlor Tricks" by Lyralocke. She is an AMAZING writer. And it is an absolute tragedy that she passed away. So, once you finish this chapter, you can keep your Avatar cravings satisfied by checking out all of her stories, especially Parlor Tricks. Blew me away.**

**Enough of me. Enjoy this chapter! It was a pain. One one-shot request under construction, I am accepting them! :) Except I am strictly Aang & Katara. **

* * *

"It's so wonderful to see all of you." Uncle Iroh says, standing at the edge of his teashop. He calls it, "The Jasmine Dragon" and l'll say, I was really disappointed that I didn't get to try out his specially brewed tea last time we were here in Ba Sing Se.

"Thank you for having us, Uncle." Zuko says, a wide smile gleaming on his usually somber face. Something about his uncle really made Zuko genuinely happy. Seeing it even brought a small smile from me.

"Ba Sing Se has really been prospering. And my tea shop has been most delightful." Iroh says, reaching for a teapot that was sitting over a small flame. "Jasmine tea, anyone?"

I shrug and nod my head. He smiles at me and hands me a cup of the tea. I bring it up to my nose, the aroma rejuvenating my senses. "Thank you General Iroh." I politely say.

He chuckles and pours a few more little cups for everyone else. "Please, just call me Iroh. I am no General anymore." I give him a content smile and take a sip of my tea.

"So, how was your travel here? I see you must of had some...complications." Iroh says, his eyes flickering towards my bandages. I give him a weak smile and wave my hand.

"Katara was attacked by the Serpent from the Serpents Pass." Aang says, his voice calm and collected.

"I'm fine, really though." I say, giving an airy laugh. I place my hand on top of Aang's on the table. He flips his hand over and laces his fingers with mine. I see Iroh's eyes catch the gesture, and a warm smile peels across his face.

"If you feel any discomfort, please don't hesitate to let me know. Not only is my tea delicious, but it can also ease pain." Iroh says, pouring himself another cup.

"Thank you, Iroh." I say, looking over at Aang to give him a smile. He returns the favor, tracing his thumb over mine.

Sokka obnoxiously clears his throat. I roll my eyes.

"So, um, Iroh sir... is there any chance you have an extra bed lying around here? My sister is in need of one." Sokka asks, acting as if he doesn't feel the daggers shooting from my eyes.

Iroh gives him a confused look. "I'm afraid I do not." Sokka just waves him off.

"That's fine. Aang will just sleep on the floor then."

I stand up at the table, throwing my chair back, as well as nearly making Aang fall off of his. My entire body throbs, but I ignore it as I point an angry finger at my incompetent brother.

"The only one who is going to be on the floor is you!" I yell, my face scrunching up in fury. Aang gently pulls me down into my seat, an amused and concerned look on his face.

"Katara, it's fine. I can sleep on the floor. If it makes Sokka happy." He says. I huff and cross my arms like a child.

"Why, thank you Aang for respecting my kind wishes." Sokka says, reaching for his cup of tea. I narrow my eyes and with the swift flick of my fingers, I bend his tea all over his shirt.

"Ah! Hot, hot! It burns! Ow!" Sokka wails, clutching his drenched shirt. He turns his head towards me and glares.

"Don't spill on yourself." I spit at him.

Sokka's face turned a deep shade of scarlet, his teeth clenching. He lifts himself up from the table and stops towards the back to his room, looking for a change in shirts. Zuko sighs and brings his fingers to his temple.

"I've never see two people fight so much..." Mai says, taking a dainty sip from her teacup.

"He's so stubborn and hard-headed!" I growl, my arms still crossed.

Iroh chuckles and stands up, stretching his back. "At least it's harmless bickering. I've known sibling relationships with not so harmless words exchanged between the two. Trust me." He reaches for a plate of Earth kingdom wheat and fruits.

"No kidding." Zuko mumbles just loud enough for all of us to make out what he said. I grimace at the thought. Iroh with Ozai as his brother and Zuko with Azula as his sister. Makes Sokka look like a saint.

"I love Sokka more than anything. It's just he can get so crazy over the smallest things. I know he cares but...I'm not his helpless little sister anymore."

"No kidding." Toph says, reaching for a slice of bread. "You guys just fight because you are both so hot-headed. It obviously runs in the family."

"I am not hot-headed!" I say, my voice rising. Aang chuckles beside me. I whip my head around and glare at him.

"What's so funny?" I ask, my eyes narrowing. He rolls his eyes and leans over to kiss me on the cheek.

"You. You're funny."

"Oh, ha ha. Nice save." I say back.

Sokka walks back towards the table, dressed in a new shirt that clearly didn't match his water tribe pants.

"Nice getup." Mai says, chuckling to herself. I couldn't help but let out a few giggles as well. Sokka growls and begins mumbling to himself, all while picking up pastries Iroh set out for us.

We all sit in somewhat of an awkward silence, the only sound coming from Sokka, who was angrily chewing away. Mai stands up and stretches, a rather large yawn emitting from her.

"Well, I don't know about all of you guys, but I'm exhausted. The rooms are just upstairs, right Iroh?" She says, sipping the last of her tea. Iroh smiles up at her and motions his head toward a closet just down the hall.

"There are extra blankets in there if you need them. I'm sure Zuko would be honored to get you anything you need..." He says, giving his nephew a smug smile and a wink. Zuko groans at his Uncle's embarrassing gesture and puts his face into his hands. Mai just chuckles and makes her way towards the stairs.

"Why, thank you. Zuko, I'll be waiting." She says, in a rather seductive tone. Toph leans back on her chair and sticks out her tongue in disgust.

"All this gushy love business around here is making me and my feet sick. Not to mention my stomach." She complains, crossing her arms over her chest. "I might even sleep outside in my own Earth tent. I don't want to feel any certain vibrations..."

Zuko's face turns red in embarrassment and, what I'm assuming is, guilt. Toph must have busted him and Mai's late night shenanigans before. I couldn't help but cringe at the though. Any thoughts of Zuko being the slightest intimate made my insides churn. Sure, him and I get along swimmingly compared to a few months ago, when I confronted him with my rather brash...hostility.

That threat still stands, though. I sip my tea while stealing a long glance at Zuko.

He could still slip up. Sure, he's related to his Uncle, who wouldn't hurt a baby platypus bear. But he has his father's blood in him. I narrow my eyes a little more.

"Katara? Why are you looking at me like that?" Zuko wearily asks, raising his eyebrows in question. I snap out of my musings and casually sip my tea.

"Just thinking to myself. Just ignore me." I say, setting down my empty cup.

"Oh. Well. Okay." Zuko says, his eyebrows still up suspiciously in question. I am positive I saw a slight flash of fear dance across his amber eyes. Good. He should be afraid. I lean over and place a feathery kiss on Aang's cheek.

"Alright, well, as much as I'd love to watch you two make kissy faces at each other, I'm going to hit the sack. You coming Suki?" Sokka asks, rising from his chair. Suki waves him away.

"I'm still drinking my tea. I'll meet you upstairs." She says, allowing Iroh to pour her a third cup. Sokka just shrugs.

"Suit yourself. I'll see you in a bit." He says, turning around towards the stairs. He stops dead in his tracks and makes his way back over to our table, only to pick up the remaining Danishes and raspberry pastries, shoving one in his mouth.

"For the road." He mumbles, his mouth full. I scoff at his manners, only to have him respond with him pointing both his index and middle finger from his eyes to me and Aang.

"I'm watching you two." He grabs Toph by the arm, pulling her with him towards the stairs.

"Hey! I wasn't finished with my-!" She starts, only to be interrupted.

"Toph will be my extra set of eyes! Or...erm, feet. We've got our eyes and...feet on you two!" He says.

"At least get me a pastry before you carry me off!" Toph yells. Sokka walks back over to the table, and, without moving his gaze from mine, picks up an apple tart and makes his way back towards Toph.

"I wanted bluebe-."

"Oh, hush!" He says, putting the apple tart in her mouth. Her eyes widen in shock, and her right arm comes flying out to deck him in the stomach.

"Oof!" Sokka squeals, landing on the floor.

"See you upstairs, Snoozles." Toph calmly says, slowly making her way up the steps. Sokka follows her, only to turn around at the top of the stairs to glare at me again. I stick my tongue out and scrunch my nose at him, only to have him return the favor. Aang innocently waves, a cheeky grin upon his face.

"What a duo." Iroh says, sitting up from his chair, patting his belly. Suki laughs next to him, setting down her empty cup.

"I'll say. If I was the jealous type, I'd be worried about their proximity. But, it doesn't really bother me." She says, standing up as well. "I should probably go up there... I don't want Toph to hurt him too bad for nearly choking her with dessert. Goodnight, everyone. And thank you, Iroh, for the tea. The best I've ever had." And with that, she bounds up the stairs.

"I am going to get some shut eye myself. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day in here. With the Avatar and, of course, the Fire Lord roaming around my tea shop." Iroh says, chuckling to himself. "Goodnight. Don't stay up too late." He steals a glance at his nephew. Zuko awkwardly slinks down in his chair.

Zuko, Aang and I sit together in silence, quietly sipping the remainder of our tea. Zuko suddenly rises, breaking our silence with the sound of him clearing his throat.

"Well, I'm sure Mai is waiting...Goodnight." He mumbles, picking up his tea cup. Aang smiles up at him.

"Goodnight, Hotman!"

I laugh, knowing Aang does it just to get under Zuko's skin. But instead of his usual, 'Stop calling me that!' Zuko just gave him a weak smile.

"Goodnight. Don't let Sokka catch you two. Or Toph." He shudders. I was right. Toph definitely caught him and Mai before.

Aang rolls his eyes. "Please, I'm the master of stealth." Zuko releases a snort and rolls his eyes. He is now halfway up the stairs, when he turns again and motions towards me.

"I'm glad we're... friends, Katara. Even with all of our past still overshadowing us." He says, almost so quietly I could barely make out what he said. I see Aang grin beside me, happy that his two previous bending teachers finally reached a stalemate.

As if all my deep thoughts of anger towards Zuko only minutes ago disappear, I manage to give him a small smile and a nod. He returns the favor and turns around, making his way around the corner to his room.

"Well, that was rather interesting. You and Zuko. Agreeing for once. Should I be worried?" He asks, his face dangerously close to mine. His breath was warm on my temple, making me feel lightheaded. I laughed and brought a hand to his cheek.

"The only thing you have to worry about is Sokka's eyes and Toph's feet." I say, kissing him softly on the lips. I feel him break into a smile.

"I'm more afraid of Toph's feet. For numerous reasons." He says, shuddering. I laugh even louder, and stand up, bringing him with me.

"Shall we?"

He responds with a yawn, and rubs his eye with his free hand. "Sleep sounds pretty amazing right now."

We make our way up the stairs and down the hallway, only to reach the only room with the door wide open. Our stuff was still sprawled out all over the floor from our extreme laziness to unpack. I flop down on the bed and sigh, my body still throbbing.

"I'm going to go get myself extra blankets and pillows. You know, since I'm required to sleep on the floor." Aang says. Momo chatters, curling up by the base of the bed, as if to tell Aang that sleeping on the floor isn't so bad.

"Yeah, well, I'd much rather be sleeping up there, with her." Aang mutters to the lemur, patting him on the head. I chuckle a little to myself and bend down to scratch Momo behind his ear. Momo leaps up onto my bed and curls up on my pillow.

"Aang's just jealous that you're allowed up here and not him." I tease. I look over at Aang, who was adorably pouting under the doorway.

"Curse me for promising Sokka I'd be a good boy." And with that, he bounds down the hallway towards the closet downstairs. This gives me a window of opportunity to quickly change into my nightgown that I haven't worn yet. I bought it just before we left the Fire Nation capital, and I was waiting for the perfect moment to show it off.

I bite my lip in anticipation. I slip into the nightgown, which was a light cerulean blue that cuts off just above my knees. It hugs my hips rather tight, and the neckline was a low V-neck. I begin to unravel my hair when Aang waltzes back in.

"Got my pillow. Going to be an uncomfortable sleep tonight..." He says, his voice slowly fading. I glance up only to see him drop his blanket and pillow onto the floor. His cheeks are already flushed.

"I, uh...you look. Wow." He fumbles, his eyes darting across my body. I chew the inside of my cheek and lean back, my hair falling behind my shoulders.

"Thank you." I quietly say back. I stand up and walk over towards Aang, who had bent down to pick up the stuff he dropped. When he stands up, to his surprise, I am not even inches away from him. I cup his face in my hands and bring his lips to mine, drawing out a long kiss.

"Goodnight." I whisper, my lips brushing across his. I turn around and swiftly climb into bed, Momo chattering in annoyance due to me disrupting his peaceful sleep on my pillow. I clench my eyes shut and try to let sleep overcome me, embarrassed and nervous about the entire situation of Aang and I sharing a room.

Aang and his stupid Avatar promises. The sound of Aang rustling around his blanket ceases, and a comforting silence fills the pitch-black room. But, it was soon broken.

"K-Katara?" Aang whispers, his voice cracking.

"Hmm?"

"I technically didn't say Avatar promise, right?"

"Technically, you didn't." There is silence for a few moments.

"So, really, I can't get into much trouble...right?"

"Where are you going with this, Aang?" My voice is playful.

"It's lonely down here. Can I join you and Momo up there?"

A sly smile creeps across my face.

* * *

**So, I'm thinking next chapter will be interesting...It will definitely be pretty scandalous. Be excited.**


	17. Feelings Unbottled

**Well, here you have it! A new chapter, finally. And it's the longest one yet, at a whopping 4,000 words. I am so proud of myself right now. I like this chapter, a lot. I think I did pretty good with staying in character, I know that's something you guys like in my style of writing. I can't stand it when stories are so drastically out of character. Aang is a goofy, and strong-willed kid. Not a weak crybaby. **

**I am not sure when the next chapter will be up, I'm still trying to think of how I can make this into a story. But I think I set the basis in here. In the Legend of Korra, Tenzin has a bison himself, adorably named 'Oogi.' So, I'm thinking about making this story into Aang's search for the sky bison. He had to find some herd of bison, or else Oogi definitely wouldn't have existed. **

**So yeah, that's where I'm thinking the story will lead. I don't know, we will see. Other than that, I will be sadly, writing a little less soon, as I am going back to school :( But don't worry, you'll still get updates. I love doing this.**

**P.S.: I am smitten with Christian Grey. Just felt like putting that out there.**

**Enjoy!**

**And I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

* * *

Aang stands up, his blankets now crumpled on the floor where he was lying. I scoot over, my back hitting the cool wall my bed was leaned against. I pat the now vacant spot beside me. He remains standing, a conflicted look upon his face.

"Well?" I prod, my stomach tightening in a knot over the whole situation. "I don't have all night." I try my best to give him a seductive smile.

I hear him swallow nervously, and with a determined nod, he lifts up the white sheet and slides into the bed.

I didn't realize how small this bed was until now, only a few inches of space is separating Aang and I. Any sort of movement, and we'll be touching. So, with that, I squirm closer to him, our noses now touching. He exhales deeply, closing his eyes, bringing his arms around my body in an embrace. His breath is hot, which sends my mind into a frenzy. _Calm down, Katara. _There isn't a full moon tonight, but I sure feel like there is one.

We remain like that for a few long minutes, drinking in the presence of one another. His usual freshly cut grass and jasmine smell is intoxicating, and I begin to feel a little lightheaded. Out lips are so close. But I want this silent and hypnotizing moment that was occurring between us to last a little longer.

Aang, however, is on an entirely different page than I. His breathing picks up and I slowly lift my eyelids, only to see him gravitating towards me, determined to finally seal our lips together. I gently turn my head, and his lips land, according to him, unsuccessfully on my jaw. He grunts in embarrassment, probably thinking he just missed catching his lips with my own. He was about to remove his lips from the base of my jaw, when I abruptly grab the back of his head, pulling him back in.

"No…stay." I whisper, my eyes rolling back as his lips hungrily found my neck.

His kissed very slowly, his lips dancing around my neck, up to my jaw, below my ear, and then onto my cheek dangerously close to my lips. A few minutes ago, I liked this lingering feeling. But now, my patience is wearing thin, and when Aang travels back to kissing my neck, I am on the brink of ending his merciless teasing. To my own surprise, I allow him to repeat the same motion all the way though again. Neck, jaw, below the ear, cheek, then back down to my neck all over again.

Only, to my uttermost bewilderment, he decides to try something new. Next thing I know, his lips are on my collarbone, his hands dangerously low on my hips. My eyes shoot open in surprise of this extreme intimacy, my mouth opening in shock. Aang hears my gasp and instantly stops, bringing his face back up so his eyes are level with mine. His eyes are wide with guilt, unaware that I am, in fact, the farthest thing from angry.

"I'm sorr-."

But he didn't get to finish his apology, because I didn't allow him to.

I somehow ended up on top of him, my lips already plastered upon his. Coming back to my senses after a few minutes of kissing Aang ruthlessly, I realize that I am being perhaps a little too voracious in my actions.

I pull away, trying to stifle my laughter when I realize that Aang is pulling away as well, his face flustered, beet red, and his breathing shallow. I lie back down beside him, our foreheads touching.

He clears his throat, and gives me a shy smile. I cuddle up to him and sigh, nudging his nose with my own.

"Aang?" I breathlessly say.

"Y-yes?" He stutters, still overwhelmed.

"I really think…we've kept our feelings for each other bottled up far too long."

Aang could only give me a weak nod. "That, for a fact, I know."

I giggle into his chest and close my eyes, suddenly realizing that I was dreadfully tired. My left side is still slightly throbbing a little more than before due to the sudden movement of my body only a few moments ago. I feel the blood in my cheeks collect.

We cuddle for a while, the silence of the night lulling us to sleep. Or, at least, lulling me to sleep. Aang was, however, very awake.

"Um, Katara?"

"Mmm…" I could hardly mutter a response, sleep taking over me.

"I…love you."

_Oh!_ My eyes shoot open. So much for falling asleep. I bite my lip, not really sure I heard him right. _Of course you heard him right. You just want to hear him say it again._

"What?" I whisper. _Katara, you're terrible._

I feel Aang take a deep breath. "I love you, Katara."

He said it with much more determination than he did before. I lean back and examine his face. His eyes are wide, as if he was just caught stealing Sokka's seal jerky. I remain silent, taking in this moment. I know he told me he loved me before, right after Sozin's Comet, but it wasn't so profound. It wasn't so forward. A small smile tugs at my lips, admiring his bravery. I lean in a give him a small kiss on his cheek.

His eyes dart across my face, his lips pursed. He is really worried about my response. I try my hardest not to roll my eyes at his nervousness. I decide it's time to stop the silent torture, and I lean back into him.

"I love you too." I simply say. My heart flutters at his response to those four words I just muttered. His lips curl into a goofy grin, his eyebrows furrowing upwards in sheer happiness.

"You do?"

"Of course I do. I always did." I snuggle up into his chest.

"You did?" His voice sounded surprised.

"Well…yeah." I know I am blushing. This was a rather new experience for me. I have only said 'I love you' to four people in my entire life. And those four people were my y mother, my father, Sokka, and Gran Gran. And okay, maybe occasionally to Momo. But I'm sure that doesn't count.

"Oh. Well…" He pulls me in closer. "This is really…wow. I…" I can tell he has another question to ask me.

"When did you realize…?" He asks. _I was right._

I sigh and then hum in thought. _When did I realize?_ Well, I always knew I had some sort of feelings for him inside me that definitely weren't motherly. I discovered those in the very beginning. I even remember feeling the strong feeling of affection towards him when we went penguin sledding. Penguin sledding! Even within knowing him for just mere hours, I had a strange feeling about him. Something I never felt before. Maybe at first it was the concept of him being the first boy I had any sort of interaction with that wasn't either my brother, or a little boy under the age of five.

But, love? That's a powerful word. Now, I know I love him for sure. I know that for a fact. I wouldn't be lying here in such close proximity with him if I didn't. I wouldn't know the feeling of my heart begging to break free from my rib cage. But I do. Because I know I love him.

_Why are you at war with yourself, Katara? You must know when you started to realize your feelings for Aang?_

"I…I am not sure." I muster out, almost too quietly, that I thought Aang didn't hear me.

"Oh. Was it after Sozin's Comet? You know…when we kissed?" I could see it now. He was blushing like mad. I know it.

"That was some kiss." I mumble, knowing my face is flushed as well. "But no. It was way before that."

This takes him by surprise. "Way before that? I guess I was a lot more oblivious than I thought."

I slap myself mentally. _Of course I loved you way before Sozin's Comet, Aang. I was too afraid to tell you. I'm the one to blame here._

"No, you weren't oblivious. I was just a frightened turtle-duck." I stop, a thought hitting me. I loved him…for a lot longer than I even realized myself. I suck in air.

"What?" He asks me, his voice soft.

"The Northern Water Tribe." I say. I lift my head from his chest to look into his eyes.

"What about it?" He asks, clearly confused.

"That's when I started loving you. I…think."

His eyes widen, and his mouth hangs open. "Way back then?"

My cheeks get hot. "Yeah. Now when I think about it. Everything was so intense during our stay…from the siege, to the ordeal at the spirit oasis. I was absolutely horrified at the concept that I could lose you. Traveling to the Northern Water Tribe was so fun, and carefree. I didn't think twice that you could easily be taken from me." I stop to collect my thoughts. "I don't think I really understood what I was feeling at the time. But now I know. It was love."

His face-splitting grin sends shivers down my spine. It is all I can manage to not pounce on him right now. I have seen Aang happy countless number of times. But I have never seen him like this. His eyes are hazy, and half-open, in a dreamlike state. He pulls me in closer and kisses me, hard. I blissfully close my eyes and kiss him back, equally as feverous.

We pull away, and his goofy grin that I love is plastered upon his rather innocent looking face. He kisses me sweetly on the cheek and I blink in awe, suddenly aware how much Aang means to me. This isn't something that will blossom now and then fade after a few years. It's a relationship; a love, that will last a lifetime. And if I were to think about it just a few weeks before, I would have been terrified and put off by the idea of my future being planned out right in front of my eyes. I don't know why I would have been upset, though. I can't see my future without this wonderful boy heavily involved in it.

"I love you." He whispers, nuzzling into my hair. Instead of saying it back, I just kiss him; I think it will get the message across. I turn over, facing away from him, and shut my eyes, finally ready for sleep to overcome me. I feel him pull me into his chest with his arms, and I smile. I could get used to this.

Well, maybe not too used to this. I feel my stomach tie into knots. Oh no. Toph's feet definitely know what's going on in here. I pray to the spirits that they don't tell Sokka.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Aang says, his breath tickling my neck. I chuckle. He's not one bit tired.

"Toph's feet." I honestly reply. I hear him laugh.

"Eh. I bet they know." He says, his smirk evident in his voice.

"Are you smirking, Aang?" I tease.

"Me? Smirking? No." He says. Okay, now he's smirking for sure.

"I wouldn't smirk if I were you. Sokka and Toph's feet happen to be best friends."

He releases another airy laugh, and I feel him shrug. "Oh well." He nuzzles into my neck and plants a small kiss there.

"Katara?" He whispers.

"Yes?"

"About a few nights ago…when we were under the stars."

"What about it?" I say, my eyebrows rising.

"I want to look for more sky bison. I can't really pinpoint this feeling, but I think that you were right. There might be more." He says, his voice extremely quiet.

I smile, and reach for his hand. "Okay. Let's make a trip to go. After we settle everything with the Earth King. Let's request for a months leave. It's the least the world can do. After all, you did save it."

"I think Appa deserves to be happy, too." He says, moving his thumb across my hand. My glowing smile fades into a sad frown for a few split seconds.

"I do, too."

We lay in silence for a few longer moments, our breathing going at the same pace. I know I am falling asleep. My conscious is telling me this is a terrible idea. I know that Sokka will pop his little curious face in here as soon as he wakes up to check on Aang and I. Boy, he will get the surprise of a lifetime. That is, if he wakes up before us. Aang is an early riser. I feel my anxiety lift, and my lips turn into a relaxed smile.

"And Katara?" Aang says, his voice sounding extremely exhausted.

"Mmm?" I can hardly keep my eyes open.

"I love you." I feel his lips open into a smile on my neck. He just loves being able to say it now. I feel my cheeks burn up.

"I love you, too. Goodnight, Aang." I tell him back, squeezing his hand.

"Goodnight." He kisses the spot right behind my ear gently. I contently sigh and finally let sleep wash over me.

**o0o0o0o**

"Sokka, could you pass me the teapot, please?" I say. I hear him huff and hand me the porcelain kettle, full of Iroh's rare and special white dragon tea.

"And there I was, in complete awe of this flower. It was white with dark orange streaks rimming the inside of the petals. I was absolutely positive it was the flower from the white dragon bush." Iroh says, a husky laughter following after it. Zuko groans and puts his hands over his forehead, embarrassed.

"So, I decided to try and brew it into tea. And little did I know, I was brewing my very own concoction of white jade tea. The rash was very unpleasant." He continues, pouring himself another cup of white dragon tea. "Long story short, the white jade flower is white with reddish-orange streaks. But the white dragon flower, which is what you are drinking now…hopefully…is a reddish-pink with white streaks."

"What do you mean, hopefully?" Sokka asks, peering down into his untouched cup of tea.

I roll my eyes and take a sip from the tea; it is absolutely delicious. Now I know why Zuko's uncle practically put his life into the hands of a flower. I would too. I chuckle at my silly thought and take another sip.

"This is very good, Iroh. And your stories are always wonderful to hear. Thank you." Suki politely says. Sokka is still looking down at his cup with a rather pale face. Suki turns towards him and scowls, elbowing him in the arm. He sighs and lifts the cup to his lips, taking a wary sip. His creases in his brow relax. Sokka likes the tea. Disaster avoided.

"What's this?" Aang says beside me, pointing to a piece of what looks like a fluffy pastry.

"It's fried dough. Most delicious." Iroh says, picking up one and popping it into his mouth.

"Oh. We've only had unfried dough." Aang says, picking it up as well. He puts it into his mouth and his eyes go wide. He picks up another and hands it to me.

"Katara! This is delicious! Why would anyone serve unfried dough when they can make this out of it?" I chuckle at him and take the dough and place it into my mouth. Spirits, this is good.

"Unfried dough? Who in the world would feed you that?" Iroh says, confused.

Aang laughs and waves his hand. "It's really a long story." I laugh as well and take another piece of fried dough. Oh, our misadventures. The thought of Aang being boiled alive in that wretched village wipes the grin off my face.

I quickly push that thought out of my mind when I see Toph make her way down the stairs, looking, well…like quite a mess, as she always does this early in the morning.

"Morning, Toph!" Aang cheerfully says, holding up a piece of his newfound love. "Try this!"

She scoffs and sits down, reaching for a piece of the coveted dough. "Yeah, fried dough. Big whoop."

"Isn't it good?" I say, my face furrowing in worry. I wonder how much she knows about last night.

"It's fried dough. I had this all the time back at home. It tastes like flour. Fried." She says, bored. She reaches for an ocean kumquat, and takes a bite out of it, the juices running messily down her chin.

"So…how did you sleep?" I ask, my eyes narrowing.

"Fine. Like a baby armadillo-tiger. How did you sleep?" She asks, putting a rather annoying emphasis on 'you.'

"Fine." I quip, hoping she doesn't sense my uneasiness.

"Yeah, Toph snores more like an adult armadillo-tiger." Sokka says, reaching for the roast duck.

"I can punch like one, too." Toph threatens, cracking her knuckles.

"Did I say that you look ravishing today?" Sokka says, nervously smiling down at Toph. She rolls her eyes and punches him in the arm.

"Why, thank you Sokka, I'm flattered, you shouldn't have."

"Anytime." He says through clenched teeth, rubbing where she hit him.

I chuckle and return to eating my fruit, while grabbing Aang's hand under the table. Toph doesn't know. Sokka doesn't know. Thank the great spirits. I feel a mischievous smile spread across my face. I love that we got away with it. I glance over at Aang, and see him blush a little. He's probably thinking the same thing as me right now.

"Excuse me…I'm terribly sorry for interrupting your morning, but I have a message from the Earth King." An unexpected voice says, silencing the room. I turn and glance at the entrance to the teashop, and see an Earth Kingdom guard holding up a scroll.

"No need to be sorry, in fact, would you care for a cup of tea? It is a teashop, after all." Iroh says, already pouring the man a cup. The man quickly shakes his head and walks over to the table, setting the parchment down.

"No thank you, Sir. I really must be going." He makes his way out of the teashop. "Have a good day." And with that, he's gone.

Iroh frowns and takes a sip out of the cup he was going to offer to the messenger. "But, tea should never be wasted."

"What does the scroll say?" Mai says, leaning over the table to get a better look at it. Zuko picks it up and unties the rope around it.

After opening and glancing at it for a few seconds, he sets it down and sighs. "Well, looks like we have a lot of work today. Aang, you and I are needed in a meeting with the Earth King and some Earth kingdom generals. We are going to discuss, well…peace. It's now or never, right?"

Aang sighs beside me. I know he's still exhausted. "Sounds good to me, Zuko."

"I think Sokka and I should attend too. The Water tribe should have a say in this." I say, nodding towards Sokka.

"That is a fine idea. It says that anyone is welcome to attend. Mai?" Zuko looks towards her with a pleading glance.

"What?" She says, raising her eyebrows.

"You're going to go with me, right?"

"Well, what else am I going to do? I'd be dreadfully bored in here."

"You'd be dreadfully bored anywhere." Zuko says to her. I gape at his remark. To my surprise, she smiles and shrugs.

"That's very true." Mai says, rolling her eyes. Zuko snickers and leans over to kiss her on the cheek. I'll never understand their relationship.

Iroh peers over Zuko's shoulder and reads the rest of the letter. "There's a celebration tonight in honor of the Avatar and the Fire Lord's arrival in Ba Sing Se." He scans the scroll some more. "Oh. And the peace meeting is going to start in an hour."

"Such short notice." I say, finishing the last of my fruit.

Zuko stands up, taking Mai with him. "Well, we should probably get ready. Is everyone going?"

Suki shrugs and nods. "I could represent the Kyoshi Warriors. That has to count for something, right?"

Zuko nods and looks towards Toph. "Toph?"

"What?" She says, scratching her stomach.

"Are you going?" Zuko asks, his voice bored.

Toph sighs. "Of course I'm going, hothead. I'm the only metalbender on the entire planet. That most definitely counts for something. I'm my own nation."

I roll my eyes at her arrogance, and Aang just laughs next to me. Our hands are still entwined under the table. I see Toph's head flicker towards me, her lips pursed in what I know is a secret. I feel my stomach churn.

She knows. I know she knows about last night. She has to.

I sit in silence next to Aang, relishing over my thoughts, that, when I finally look up, I realize that everyone else has gotten up and retreated back to their rooms.

"Katara?" Aang asks, standing up. "You alright?" He pulls me up hesitantly, a worried look on his face. I shake off my nervous thoughts about Toph knowing Aang and I fell asleep in the same bed together last night. She would have told Sokka by now, for sure. I let out a breath in relief. _Yes, she most definitely would have told Sokka._

"I'm excellent." I say, catching his cheek in a quick peck. We enclose our hands together and make our way back up to our room.

My body freezes when I see Toph leaning outside our door. I sneak a nervous glance at Aang, who was doing to the same towards me.

"Yes, Toph?" I say, trying to ignore how shaky my voice is.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell Snoozles. And I won't tell him." She says, rather harshly.

"You knew?" Aang asks, his face extremely red.

"Of course I knew. I know everything. I hardly got any sleep last night!" She says, her voice rising.

"Shh, Toph, not so loud." I whisper, knowing that Sokka's room is only a few doors down.

She leans off the wall and makes her way towards her room. "Your little secret is safe with me. Don't get your panties up in a wad, Sugarqueen." She waves her hand at me as she walks down the hall. "This doesn't mean I won't tell him if it happens again. I do need my beauty sleep, after all. Between you two, and Sir Fire Lord hothead and his gloomy girlfriend, I'll never sleep a peep without suspending my feet in midair." And with that turns into her room, leaving Aang and I gaping at her, our jaws hitting the floor.

"Well…she knew." Aang says, clearly embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck.

"Of course she knew, Aang!" I snap at him, my face burning up. To my surprise, he begins laughing and pulls me closer to him.

"How in the spirits is this funny?" I ask, my eye twitching.

"I don't know. I just think the whole situation is hilarious. I don't regret anything about last night. It was the best night of my life. I love you." He says, the last three words completely erasing my annoyance with him. I smile, fondly remembering our conversation we had.

"Love you, too." I say, rolling my eyes. He gives me a small kiss on the lips, and we walk into our room.

Oh, what will I do about him?


End file.
